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SIAM  AND  LAOS 

. ■ . 'JJegi  <pi  by  ■ ^ . 

.Ifitnun./.Cfu'flf.y'./J.  u/' f.'/ifitrttf .)fai  . 


ms  SUPREME  MAJESTY,  CIIULALANGKORN  I.,  KING  OF  SIAM. 
Frontisjnece. 


SIAM  AND  LAOS, 


AS  SEEN  BY 


OUR  AMERICAN  MISSIONARIES. 


“ Siam  has  not  been  disciplined  by  English  and  French  guns,  like  China, 
but  the  country  has  been  opened  by  missionaries.” — Jiemnrk  of  HU  Grace 
the  late  Ex-Ilerjent  of  Siam. 


FULLY  ILLUSTRATED. 


PHILADELPHIA: 

PKESHYTERIAN  BOARD  OP’  PUBLICATION, 

No.  l.m  CHESTNUT  STREET. 


COPYRIGHT,  1884,  BY 

THE  TRUSTEES  OP  THE 

PRESBYTERIAN  BOARD  OF  PUBLICATION. 


ALL  RIGHTS  RESERVED. 


Westcott  & Thomson, 
Stereotypers  and  Electrotypers,  Philada. 


PREFACE. 


rPHIS  volume  is  a response  to  calls  for  infor- 
mation  on  Siam  and  Laos.  A score  of  mis- 
sionaries have  contributed  chapters.  Some  have 
written  amidst  conflicting  claims  of  the  crowded 
field-life ; others,  during  brief  visits  to  the  home- 
land; several  are  children  of  missionaries  and 
were  born  in  Indo-China ; others  are  noble  pio- 
neer workers,  whose  long  years  of  service  abroad 
are  now  ended.  A few  of  the  chapters  originally 
appeared  in  a missionary  periodical.  Two  of  the 
writers  have  “entered  into  rest.”  The  editor  is 
much  indebted  also  to  the  standard  works  of 
Pallegoix,  Bowring,  Crawford,  Mouhot  and  sev- 
eral more  recent  travelers,  to  geographical  papers 
and  official  reports,  and  to  valuable  original  data 
furnished  by  Dr.  House,  Dr.  Cheek  and  others. 

Adaptation  and  necessary  condensation  of  the 
information  thus  gathered  make  special  credit 
often  impossible,  but  doubtful  points  have  been 


G 


PREFACE. 


verified  by  reference  to  competent  authority,  so 
far  as  practicable. 

The  contributions  of  our  missionaries  have  spe- 
cial value.  For  years  they  have  been  brought 
into  close  contact  with  the  people  in  their  homes, 
schools,  wats  and  markets,  mingling  as  honored 
guests  in  social  gatherings  and  at  official  cere- 
monials, enjoying  full  opportunity  of  studying 
the  natives  at  work,  at  play  and  at  worship.  As 
teachers,  physicians,  translators  and  trusted  coun- 
selors they  are  recognized  as  public  benefactors 
by  the  king  and  many  high  officials.  Siam  owes 
the  introduction  of  printing,  European  litera- 
ture, vaccination,  modern  medical  practice,  sur- 
gery and  many  useful  mechanical  appliances  to 
our  American  missionaries.  They  have  stimu- 
lated philosophical  inquiry,  paved  the  way  for 
foreign  intercourse  with  civilized  nations,  given 
a great  shock  to  the  grosser  forms  of  idolatry 
among  tlie  more  enlightened,  leavened  the  social 
and  intellectual  ideas  of  the  “Young  Siam” 
party,  and,  almost  imperceptibly,  but  steadily, 
undermined  the  old  hopeless  Buddhist  theories 
with  the  regenerating  force  of  gospel  truth. 

The  young  king  publicly  testified  on  a late  oc- 
casion : “ The  American  missionaries  have  lived 


PREFACE. 


7 


in  Siam  a long  time ; they  have  been  noble  men 
and  women,  and  have  put  their  hearts  into  teach- 
ing the  people,  old  and  young,  that  which  is  good, 
and  also  various  arts  beneficial  to  my  kingdom 
and  people.  Long  may  they  live,  and  never  may 
they  leave  us !” 

May  this  volume  aid  in  arousing  a more  in- 
telligent and  generous  interest  in  this  field — 
the  sacred  trust  of  our  American  Presbyterian 
Church;  may  it  promote  a truer  sense  of  the 
heroic  sacrifices,  the  patient  and  multij)lied 
labors,  of  the  noble  band  who  for  the  past  half 
century  have  toiled  and  waited  in  hope  for  the 
spiritual  regeneration  of  the  Siamese  and  Laos ! 

Schenectady,  May,  1884. 

N.  B.  Uniformity  in  the  spelling  of  Siamese  and  Laos 
proper  names  is  not  yet  attainable.  Different  ears  catch  the 
foreign  sounds  and  transliterate  them  differently,  giving  an 
endless  variation.  Thus  the  single  city  which  we  give  as 
Cheung  Mai,  following  Dr.  Cheek,  may  be  found  in  books 
and  maps  as  Cheng  Mai,  Cbeang  Mai,  Zimma,  Chang  Mai, 
etc.  To  ascertain  the  pronunciation  in  such  cases,  see  what 
one  pronunciation  can  be  made  to  cover  all  of  these  spell- 
ings. It  is  hoped  that  the  present  volume  is  a step  in  the 
direction  of  a correct  transliteration  of  Siamese  names. 


1^. 


J 


‘■:AR24J 


CONTENTS. 


PART  I. 

SIAM. 

CHAPTER  I. 

PAGE 

The  Indo-Chinese  Peninsula.  An  Introductory  Sketch 15 


CHAPTER  II. 

Sight-Seeing  IN  Bangkok.  Mrs.  S.R.  House,  formerly  of  Bangkok.  81 


CHAPTER  III. 

Touring  in  Siam.  Jl/rs.  S.  B.  House,  formerly  of  Bangkok 96 


CHAPTER  IV. 

In  and  About  Petchabubee.  Miss  Sarah  Coffman,  Petchahuree.  112 


CHAPTER  V. 

Animals  of  Siam.  Mrs.  S.  E.  House,  Bangkok 120 


CHAPTER  VI. 

The  Chinese  in  Siam.  Mrs.  N.  A.  McDonald,  Bangkok 145 


9 


10 


CONTEyTS. 


PART  II. 

VARIETIES  OF  SIAMESE  LIFE. 

CHAPTER  VII. 

PAGE 


A Siamese  Wedding.  Mrs.  J.  IF.  Van  Dyke,  Petchaburee 162 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Housekeeping  in  Siam.  Miss  M.  L.  Cort,  Petchaburee 175 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Child-Life  in  Siam.  Miss  II.  H.  McDonald,  Bangkok 184 

CHAPTER  X. 

First  Hair-Cutting  of  a A'oung  Siamese. 


Samuel  R.  House,  M.  D.,  Bangkok.  193 


CHAPTER  XL 

The  Schools  of  Siam.  Mrs.  S.  O.  McFarland,  Bangkok 206 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Holidays  in  Siam.  Mrs.  S.  R.  House,  Bangkok 224 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

A Gambling  Establishment. 


The  late  D.  Bradley,  M.  D.,  Bangkok.  233 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Siamese  Theory  and  Practice  of  Medicine. 

E.  A.  Sturge,  M.  D.,  Petchaburee.  236 

CHAPTER  XV. 

Cholera-Times  in  Bangkok.  Samuel  R.  House,  M.D 241 


COyTEXTS. 


u 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

PAGE 


Siamese  Customs  for  the  Dying  and  Dead. 

The  late  D.  Bradley,  M.  D.,  of  Bangkok.  247 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

The  Wats  of  Siam.  A Compilation 2G9 


PART  III. 

HISTORICAL  SKETCHES. 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Historical  Sketch  of  Siam. 

Rev.  Eugene  P.  Dunlap,  Petekaburee.  304 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

Missionary  Ladies  in  the  King’s  Palace. 

Mrs.  Mattoon,  formerly  of  Bangkok.  320 

CHAPTER  XX. 

Coronation  of  His  Majesty’  the  Supreme  King  of  Siam. 

Rev.  N.  A.  McDonald,  Bangkok.  338 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

History  of  the  Mis.sions  in  Siam  and  Laos. 

Samuel  R.  House,  M.  D.,  Bangkok.  351 


PART  IV. 

LAOS. 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

Laos  Land  and  Life.  3Trs.  S.  C.  Pa-kins,  Philadelphia 419 


12 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 


PAGE 


From  Bangkok  to  Chexing  Mai. 

Mi  s.  Jonathan  Wilson,  Cheung  Mai.  460 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

Recollections  of  Cheung  Mai. 

Miss  Emclie  McGUvai'y,  Cheung  Mai.  479 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

A Day  at  Cheung  Mai.  Mrs.  Jonathan  Wilson,  Cheung  Mai.  491 
CHAPTER  XXVI. 

A Laos  Cabin.  Rev.  Jonathan  Wilson,  Cheung  Mai 497 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 

Superstitions  of  the  Laos.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Cheek,  Cheung  Mai.  504 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

Treatment  of  the  Sick.  M.  R.  Cheek,  M.  D.,  Cheung  Mai...  511 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 

A Tour  in  the  Laos  Country. 

The  late  G.  W.  Vrooman,  M.  D.,  Cheung  Mai.  525 

CHAPTER  XXX. 

China  to  British  India,  via  Cheung  Mai. 

M.  A.  Cheek,  M.  D.,  Cheung  Mai.  543 


ILLUSTRATIONS, 


PAGE 

His  Supreme  Majesty,  Chulalangkoen  I.,  Kikg  of  Siam. 

Frontispiece. 

Burmese  Tempue 23 

Rums  OF  A Pagoda  at  Ayuthia 29 

Siamese  Gentleman  in  Modern  Court-Dress 32 

Siamese  Lady  in  Modern  Court-Dress 33 

View’  of  Paknam,  on  the  Menam 37 

Port  of  Chantaboon 41 

Lion  Rock,  at  the  Entrance  of  the  Port  of  Chantaboon  44 

Types  of  Women  of  Farther  India 57 

Scene  on  an  Oriental  River 65 

The  Bread-Fruit 72 

The  Lotus 74 

Bird  of  Paradise 77 

Monkeys  PLAYmo  with  a Crocodile 79 

Bangkok,  on  the  Menam 83 

House-Sparrow 84 

Floating  Stores  at  Bangkok 89 

Missionary-Boat  for  TouRmo  in  Siam 97 

Prabat  103 

House  at  Petchaburee 113 

View  of  the  Mount Ams  of  Petchaburee 116 

Monkeys 121 

Java  Sparrows  122 

The  Cobra 123 

Hunting  the  Crocodile 127 

Elephants  at  Home 129 

An  Elephant  Ploughing 131 


13 


14 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE 

The  White  Elephant 141 

Home  of  Rich  Chinaman 146 

Chinese  Boat-People 151 

Chinese  Cemetery 162 

Paper  Pray'ers 155 

Parlor  of  Chinese  House 156 

Mission-House 171 

Siamese  Ladies  Dining 179 

A Young  Siamese  Prince 189 

A Chinese  Street-Show 191 

Removal  of  the  Tuft  of  a Young  Siamese 195 

A School  in  Siam 215 

A Few  of  the  Children  of  the  Late  First  King  of  Siam  223 

Carrying  the  King  to  the  Temple 231 

Siamese  Actress 234 

Cremation  Temple  ; A Temporary  Building 251 

Tomb  of  a Bonze . . 263 

Banyan  Tree 270 

Siamese  Temple 271 

Temple  at  Ayuthia  . . 275 

Monastery  of  Wat  Sisaket 277 

Brass  Idol  in  a Temple  at  Bangkok 279 

The  Great  Tower  of  the  Pagoda  Wat  Cheug 283 

Buddhist  Priest 285 

Buddhist  Priests  gathering  Food 295 

Ruins  of  a Temple  and  Statue  at  Ayuthia 303 

Attache  of  Siamese  Embassy  : Court-Costume  in  1883  . . 313 

The  Late  First  King  and  Queen 323 

SOMDETCH  Chowfa  Ciiulalangkorn 339 

Hall  of  Audience,  Palace  of  Bangkok 341 

Brahman  at  Worship 345 

Coronation  of  a Laos  King 421 

A Laos  Funeral 429 

Tapping  the  Borassus  Palm 449 

A Laos  Home 499 

Camping  in  a Laos  Forf,st 529 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


PART  I. 


SIAM. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE  INDO-CHINESE  PENINSULA. 

HEN  about  to  visit  a foreign  country  the 


prudent  traveler  is  careful  to  seek  in  guide- 
books and  from  maps  some  data  in  regard  to  its 
position,  prominent  features  and  relation  to  adja- 
cent regions.  Such  information  adds  interest  to 
each  stage  of  his  journey.  Climbing  a moun- 
tain, he  overlooks  two  kingdoms.  Such  a valley 
opens  into  a rich  mining  district;  the  highlanders 
of  that  range  are  descendants  of  the  original  lords 
of  the  soil ; the  navigability  of  this  river  is  of 
coinmercial  importance  as  a possible  trade-route. 

In  like  manner,  bold  outlines  of  the  whole 
peninsula  furnish  the  best  introduction  to  a 
careful  study  of  Central  Indo-China,  showing 
the  trade-connection  of  Northern  Laos  with 
Burmah  and  the  richest  mining  province  of 
China,  and  the  relation  of  Siamese  progress  to 
certain  Asiatic  commercial  problems.  New  views 


15 


16 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


also  are  thus  gained  of  the  great  work  actually 
accomplished  by  our  American  misssonaries  for 
science  and  eivilization  in  this  corner  of  the  globe 
during  their  self-imposed  exile  of  half  a century. 

ludo-China  is  the  south-east  corner  of  Asia, 
a sharply-defined,  two-pronged  peninsula  outjut- 
ting  from  China  just  below  the  Tropic  of  Can- 
cer, its  long  Malayan  arm  almost  touching  the 
equator,  bounded  east,  south  and  west  by  water. 
Southward,  the  Eastern  Archipelago  stretches 
toward  Australia,  “ a kind  of  Giants’  Causeway 
by  means  of  which  a mythological  Titan  might 
have  crossed  from  one  continent  to  another.” 
Along  the  north  the  extreme  south-west  angle 
of  the  Celestial  Empire,  by  name  Yunnan,  lies 
in  immediate  contact  with  the  Burmese,  the  Laos 
and  the  Tonquinese  frontiers,  whence  the  main 
rivers  of  the  peninsula  divide  their  streams. 

Yunnan  may  be  regarded  as  a lower  terrace 
projecting  from  the  giant  Thibetan  plateau — an 
extensive,  uneven  table-land,  separated  for  the 
most  part  by  mountains  from  contiguous  regions. 
The  northern  portion  is  a confused  tangle  of 
lofty  ranges,  with  peaks  rising  above  the  snow- 
line, and  few  inhabited  valleys — a region,  in  a 
word,  compared  to  which  Switzerland  is  an  easy 
plain — of  wild  romantic  scenery,  ravines,  tor- 
rents and  landslips,  but  with  little  industry  or 
commerce.  Maize  is  used  for  food  throughout 
the  sparsely-populated  district,  since  rice  cannot 


THE  INDO-CHINESE  PENINSULA. 


17 


be  cultivated  at  such  altitudes.  The  main  ranges 
have  a north-and-south  trend,  subsiding  some 
thousand  feet  before  reaching  the  Indo-Chinese 
frontier.  Parallel  to  the  lower  south  and  south- 
east chains  of  mountains  are  a series  of  rich  up- 
land valleys,  each  basin  supplied  with  its  own 
watercourse  or  lake,  and  tenanted  more  or  less 
densely  by  the  busy  villages  situated  near  the 
water.  Rice,  pepper  and  the  poppy  are  exten- 
sively cultivated. 

The  choicest  portion  of  this  province  lies  with- 
in the  open  angle  formed  by  the  divergence  of 
four  large  rivers — viz.  “the  Yangtse,  taking  its 
course  due  north,  till,  bending  to  the  east,  it 
makes  its  final  exit  into  the  Chinese  Sea  at 
Shanghai ; the  Mekong,  pursuing  a tortuous 
course  south  to  the  China  Sea  near  Saigon ; 
the  Si-Kiang,  originating  near  the  capital  of 
the  province,  flows  due  east  to  Canton ; while 
a fourth,  the  Songkoi,  or  ‘Red  River,’  goes 
south-east  to  Hanoi  and  the  Gulf  of  Tonquin. 
A central  position  amidst  such  mighty  waterways 
and  with  so  wide  a circumference  of  outside  com- 
munication indicates  the  great  importance  of  the 
district  either  for  administration  or  trade — a fact 
early  appreciated  by  the  sagacity  of  the  Chinese, 
who  as  far  back  as  the  third  century  established 
fortified  colonies  among  the  then  savage  and  re- 
calcitrant tribes  of  Yunnan.  For  export  Yun- 
nan has  three  capital  products  to  offer — opium. 


18 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


tea  and  metals.  The  opium-yielding  poppy 
grows  almost  everywhere.  The  celebrated  tea 
of  the  south-east  is  in  great  request,  being  con- 
sidei’ed  by  the  Chinese  themselves  superior  to 
all  other  qualities  of  tea  throughout  the  enquire. 
Its  cultivation  offers  no  difficulties,  the  high  price 
it  commands  outside  of  the  region  being  solely 
due  to  the  costliness  of  transport.  But  it  is  the 
metal-trade  which  will  in  all  probability  be  the 
j)rominent  feature  of  commerce.  The  great  tin- 
mines  have  supplied  the  whole  of  China  from 
time  immemorial ; copper  abounds  throughout 
the  province;  lead,  gold,  silver,  iron,  and  last, 
but  not  least,  coal,  make  up  the  list.  Curiously 
enough,  the  vast  Chinese  empire  includes  no 
other  truly  metalliferous  j)rovince  except  the 
bordering  region  of  Western  Ssu-ch’nan,  geo- 
logically, though  not  administratively,  a part 
of  Yunnan;  nothing  but  the  inaccessibility,  and 
too-often  disturbed  and  lawless  condition,  of 
the  country  has  thus  far  hindered  its  mines 
from  becoming  sources  of  really  incalculable 
wealth  to  the  province,  to  the  Chinese  empire 
at  large,  and,  by  particij^ation,  to  foreign  com- 
merce.” 

The  affluent  circumstances  of  the  j^easantry  in 
the  southern  districts  are  in  marked  contrast  with 
those  of  the  north.  The  women  do  not  compress 
their  feet.  Many  of  the  men  bear  the  Muslim’s 
physique  and  features.  Indeed,  before  the  mer- 


THE  INDO-CHINESE  PENINSULA. 


19 


ciless  massacre  of  the  Panthays,  Mohammedans 
formed  the  majority  of  the  population.  But  the 
last  quarrel,  begun  by  miners  in  1855,  only  ended 
in  1874  by  wellnigh  the  extermination  of  the 
entire  Muslim  community.  Mounted  expresses 
were  despatched  to  seventy-two  districts  with 
instructions  to  the  principal  mandarins  from 
the  governor  of  the  province.  Families  were 
surprised  and  butchered  by  night,  their  homes 
sacked  and  mosques  burned.  A cry  of  horror 
ran  from  village  to  village.  The  Mohammedans 
rushed  to  arms,  collecting  in  vast  numbers,  and 
upward  of  a million  Chinese  were  killed  in  re- 
venge. In  the  end  the  Panthays  were  crushed 
out,  but  more  than  one-fourth  of  the  inhabitants 
of  Yunnan  had  perished  or  emigrated.  Plague 
and  famine  followed  the  great  rebellion  and 
fearfully  devastated  the  whole  region,  which  is 
only  now  slowly  recovering  its  former  prosperity. 

The  aboriginal  inhabitants  of  Yunnan  are 
apparently  of  the  same  stock  as  the  Laos,  just 
across  the  border.  The  variety  of  their  clans 
and  picturesque  costumes  recalls  the  wild  High- 
landers of  Scotland. 

The  chief  lack  of  Yunnan  is  good  roads. 
Going  east  or  west,  the  highways  run  up  the 
ridge,  over  the  saddle  or  watershed,  and  dip 
down  into  another  valley,  and  this  up-and-down 
process  must  be  repeated  from  town  to  town ; 
ravines  must  be  crossed,  torrents  must  be 


20 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


bridged,  and  often  the  narrow  causeway  lies 
along  the  side  of  a precipice  or  the  ascent  may 
be  some  hundred  feet  up  the  face  of  a mountaiu. 
Merchandise  crossing  the  Laos  frontier  must  be 
carried  long  distances  at  an  enormous  cost.  Thus 
the  celebrated  so-called  Puekr  tea  of  North- 
eastern Laos,  just  a little  south  of  the  Yunnan 
border,  while  freely  used  by  the  peasantry  of 
that  province,  is  too  expensive  by  the  time  it 
reaches  the  nearest  Chinese  port  to  export  to 
Russia  or  Europe.  Yet  the  amount  of  goods 
and  produce  that  move  to  and  fro  via  Szmao, 
the  last  Chinese  administration  town,  to  Laos, 
and  via  Cheung  Mai  to  Burmah,  is  surprising, — 
thus  affording  the  best  possible  guarantee  for  an 
increased  amount  to  follow  were  only  communi- 
cation facilitated.  Railroad  communication  for 
an  overland  route  is  warmly  advocated.  “From 
Yunnan,”  as  Baron  Richthoren  puts  it,  “the 
elongated  ridges  of  the  Indo-Chinese  peninsula 
(the  land  of  the  Burmese,  Malays,  Siamese,  Laos 
and  Cochin-Chinese)  stretch  southward  as  fin- 
gers from  the  palms  of  a hand.” 

The  configuration  of  the  peninsula  is  easily 
remembered  as  separated  by  longitudinal  belts 
of  hills,  spurs  from  the  northern  ranges,  into 
j)rincipal  basins,  or  funnels,  for  the  rich  drain- 
age of  the  surrounding  highlands,  via  Burmah, 
or  the  basin  of  the  Irawaddy ; the  valley  of  the 
Menam  and  that  of  the  Cambodia  or  Mekong 


THE  FIRST  BASm—BURMAH. 


21 


River;  and  Toiiquin,  connected  by  a narrow 
coast-strip  with  the  French  delta. 

The  fluvial  system  of  each  of  these  great  val- 
leys is  dominated  by  one  imj)ortant  river,  whose 
downward  course  is  more  or  less  impeded  by 
cataracts,  until  the  upper  plateaux  gradually 
subside  into  undulating  tracts,  which  increase 
in  width  and  levelness  as  they  approach  the 
several  deltas.  Throughout  Indo-China  these 
waterways,  with  their  intersecting  streams  and 
canals,  are  the  main  highways  of  population,  com- 
merce and  travel.  Native  villages  often  consist 
of  one  long  water-street  running  through  a per- 
fect jungle  of  palms  and  other  tropical  trees,  the 
little  bamboo  huts  and  the  wats  nearly  hidden 
in  the  foliage.  Boats  are  used  instead  of  carts, 
carriages  or  cars.  In  the  upland  districts  buffa- 
loes and  elephants  are  used ; but,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  the  pack-peddlers  and  caravans  at 
certain  seasons,  the  traveler  off  the  waterways 
would  rarely  meet  any  trace  of  human  life. 

I.  THE  FIRST  BASIN— BURMAH. 

The  westernmost  basin  embraces  the  kingdom 
of  Ava,  ruled  by  a most  cruel  native  autocrat, 
and  the  three  British  provinces  of  Lower  Bur- 
mah,  governed  by  a chief  commissioner  residing 
at  Rangoon  and  subject  to  the  viceroy  of  India 
at  Calcutta. 

What  is  known  of  Burmah  is  chiefly  embraced 


22 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


in  the  valley  of  the  Irawathly.  This  large  stream, 
rising  in  Thibet,  flows  almost  due  south  some 
twelve  hundred  miles,  receiving  tributaries  east 
and  west,  and  communicating  by  numerous 
branches  with  the  Salween,  running  parallel 
on  the  east,  but  almost  useless  for  travel,  owing 
to  its  rapids. 

The  Burmese  delta  (a  network  of  intercom- 
municating waters  from  the  Indian  border-ranges 
to  the  banks  of  the  Salween  near  the  Siamese 
frontier)  has  some  fourteen  outlets,  but  most  of 
these  are  obstructed  by  sandbars  and  coral-reefs. 
Bassein  and  Rangoon  are  the  seagoing  ports. 
The  latter  is  a large  city  of  over  one  hundred 
thousand  inhabitants,  and  now  ranks  third  in 
commercial  importance  in  the  Indian  empire. 
This  plain  from  the  coast  to  Prome  is  subject 
to  periodical  inundations  and  is  exceedingly 
productive.  It  is  a great  rice-district.  Below 
the  northern  frontier  of  British  Burmah  the 
Irawaddy  is  nearly  three  miles  broad.  In  the 
neighborhood  of  Prome  the  face  of  the  country 
changes.  Ranges  of  lofty  mountains  approach 
nearer  and  nearer,  and  finally  close  in  on  the 
stream,  the  banks  becoming  precipitous  and  the 
valley  narrowing  to  three-quarters  of  a mile. 
Above  the  latitude  of  Ava  the  whole  region  is 
intersected  by  mountains,  and  not  far  from  Man- 
dalay, the  capital  of  Upper  Burmah,  is  their 
lowest  defile.  The  banks  at  this  point  are  cov- 


BURMESE  TEMPLE. 


24 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


ered  with  dense  vegetation  and  slope  down  to  the 
water’s  edge.  Still  ascending  the  river,  before 
reaching  Bhamo  one  enters  an  exceedingly  pic- 
turesque defile,  the  stream  winding  in  perfect 
stillness  under  high  bare  rocks  rising  sheer  out 
of  the  water.  The  current  of  the  upper  defile 
above  Bhamo  is  very  rapid,  and  the  return 
waters  occasion  violent  eddies.  When  the  water 
is  at  its  lowest  no  bottom  is  found  even  at  forty 
fathoms. 

For  centuries  the  Irawaddy  has  furnished  the 
sole  means  of  communication  between  the  sea- 
board and  interior.  The  Irawaddy  Flotilla 
Company,  started  in  1868,  employs  over  one 
thousand  hands,  and  sends  twice  each  week 
magnificent  iron-clad  steamers  with  large  flats 
attached  to  Mandalay.  The  time-distance  be- 
tween the  two  capitals  is  greater  than  from  New 
York  to  Liverpool.  Smaller  vessels  go  on  to 
Bhamo.  The  native  craft  are  estimated  at  eight 
thousand.  The  rapid  increase  of  trade  along  this 
river  attracts  colonists  and  has  greatly  enriched 
British  Burmah. 

Bhamo,  on  the  left  bank,  near  the  confluence 
of  the  Taping  and  close  to  valuable  coal-mines, 
is  within  a few  miles  of  the  Chinese  frontier. 
The  old  trade-route  noted  by  Marco  Polo  is  still 
in  use,  but  the  ranges  to  be  crossed,  the  great 
cost  of  land-carriage,  together  with  the  dangerous 
neighborhood  of  the  Kachyen  banditti,  render  the 


THE  FJRST  BASIN— RURMAH. 


25 


road  of  limited  avail  for  trade-purposes  beyond 
the  fertile  Taping  valley.  The  China  Inland 
Mission  and  the  American  Baptists  have  stations 
at  Bhamo. 

The  Rangoon-Prome  railroad  was  opened  in 
1878.  The  Rangoon-Toungoo  line  will  be  in 
use  this  year,  following  the  Sittang  valley  to 
the  borders  of  Siam.  British  capitalists  have 
now  under  contemplation  a road  crossing  from 
Maulmain  to  Cheung  Mai,  a distance  of  about  one 
hundred  and  sixty  miles,  with  only  one  compara- 
tively low  hill-chain  east  of  the  Salween  River. 
A terminus  at  Cheung  Mai  would  create  an  in- 
creased traffic,  leading  to  a further  extension  via 
Kiang  Kung  to  Szmao  on  the  Yunnanese  fron- 
tier, a distance  roughly  estimated  at  two  hundred 
and  forty  miles,  with  no  intervening  mountain- 
system.  Although  as  yet  untraveled  by  Euro- 
pean exploration,  this  track  is  in  use  by  the 
native  caravans,  and  the  projected  railroad  will 
open  a most  important  exchange  market  with 
millions  of  well-to-do,  industrious  inhabitants, 
occupying  some  of  the  richest  mining  and  agri- 
cultural districts  of  Southern  Asia. 

The  official  census  report  of  Burmah  states : 
“There  is  possibly  no  country  in  the  world 
whose  inhabitants  are  more  varied  in  race,  cus- 
toms and  language.  There  are  said  to  be  as 
many  as  forty-seven  different  tribes  in  the  nar- 
row boundaries  of  the  two  Burmahs,  but  these 


2G 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


may  be  classed  uiuler  four — Peguans,  Burmese, 
Karens  and  Sliaus  or  Laos.  The  Peguans  seem 
to  have  first  occupied  the  country.  The  Burmese 
followed,  and  took  possession  of  the  plains  and 
valleys  of  UpiDcr  and  Lower  Burmah.  Their 
language  is  used  in  the  English  courts  of  jus- 
tice, and  is  probably  destined  to  be  the  prevail- 
ing language  of  the  country.  The  Laos,  occu- 
pying the  north-eastern  plateaux  skirting  the 
Chinese  border,  are  from  a great  trunk  of  un- 
certain root  which  appears  to  have  been  derived 
originally  from  Yunnan,  where  the  main  stem 
still  retains  its  primitive  designation  of  La’o — a 
name  commonly  exchanged  for  ‘Shan’  in  the 
language  of  the  modern  Burmese  and  English 
writers.  The  Karens,  scattered  along  the  Siam- 
ese frontiers,  are  various  tribes  having  their  own 
customs,  dialects  and  religion.  They  have  a tra- 
dition that  when  they  left  Central  Asia  they  were 
accompanied  by  a younger  brother,  who  traveled 
faster,  went  directly  east  and  founded  the  Chinese 
empire.  Before  the  British  acquired  Lower  Bur- 
mah these  simple  mountaineers  were  subjected  to 
brutal  persecutions.  So  late  as  1851  the  Burmese 
viceroy  told  Mr.  Kincaid  that  he  ‘would  instant- 
ly shoot  the  first  Karens  he  found  that  could 
read.’  ” 

The  Karens  live  among  the  vast  forests,  now  in 
one  and  anon  in  another  valley,  clearing  a little 
patch  for  rice-fields  and  gardens,  their  upland 


THE  SECOND  BASIN— SIAM. 


27 


rice  and  cotton  furnishing  food  and  clothing  and 
the  mountain-streams  fish  in  abundance.  They 
seldom  remain  more  than  two  seasons  in  one 
spot,  and  all  through  the  jungles  are  found 
abandoned  Karen  hamlets,  where  rank  weeds 
and  young  bamboo-shoots  supplant  the  culti- 
vated fields. 

II.  THE  SECOND  BASIN— SIAM. 

The  river  Menam  (or  Meinam)  is  formed  by 
the  union  of  streams  from  the  north.  About 
halfway  in  its  course  mountains  close  upon  the 
river,  which  passes  from  the  uj)per  plateaux  of 
Laos  into  the  valley  of  Siam  proper  through 
some  of  the  finest  mountain-scenery  in  the  world. 

The  rich  alluvial  plain  of  Siam  is  estimated  at 
about  four  hundred  and  fifty  miles  in  length  by 
fifty  miles  average  breadth.  The  main  stream, 
above  Rahany,  is  known  as  the  Maping.  Below 
the  rocky  defiles  the  river  divides  several  times, 
and  contains  some  larger  and  smaller  islands; 
Ayuthia  is  built  on  one  of  the  latter.  The 
founding  of  this  city,  about  1350  a.  d.,  was  one 
of  the  most  memorable  events  in  Siamese  his- 
tory. In  1766  the  Burmese  depopulated  the 
country  and  burned  Ayuthia.  A new  dynasty, 
with  Bangkok  for  the  capital,  w^as  founded  about 
a century  ago. 

Bangkok,  sometimes  called  “the  Venice  of  the 
Orient,”  is  the  Siamese  metropolis — the  first  city 


28 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


in  size,  wealth  and  political  importance.  Old 
Bangkok  is  changing  rapidly.  European  fash- 
ions and  architecture  are  introduced  among  the 
nobility  and  wealthy.  The  new  j)alace  is  a mix- 
ture of  European  architectural  styles,  retaining 
the  characteristic  Siamese  roof.  The  furniture 
is  on  a most  costly  scale,  having  been  imported 
from  England,  it  is  stated,  at  an  expense  of  some 
seventy-five  thousand  pounds.  The  large  library 
is  filled  with  books  in  several  languages  and  fur- 
nished with  all  the  leading  European  and  Amer- 
ican periodicals.  The  royal  guards  are  in  Euro- 
pean uniform,  but  barefooted,  only  the  officers 
being  permitted  to  wear  boots.  In  the  surround- 
ing area  are  courts  and  rows  of  two-storied  white 
buildings,  the  barracks,  mint,  museum  and  pavil- 
ions. The  entrance  to  the  throne-room  is  up  a 
fine  marble  staircase  lined  with  ferns,  palms  and 
plants.  The  throne-room  is  a long  hall  hung 
with  fine  oil  paintings  and  adorned  with  costly 
busts  of  famous  personages.  The  spacious  draw- 
ing-room adjoining  is  furnished  in  the  most  lux- 
urious European  style. 

The  palace  of  the  second  king  (named  George 
Washington  by  his  father,  who  was  a great  ad- 
mirer of  our  celebrated  American  statesman)  is 
also  European  in  many  of  its  appointments,  with 
mirrors,  pictures  and  English  and  French  furni- 
ture. This  prince,  still  in  the  prime  of  middle 
life,  devotes  a great  part  of  his  time  to  scientific 


RUINS  OF  A PAGODA  AT  AYUTHIA. 


30 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


pursuits,  and  has  collected  iu  his  palace  much 
machinery,  including  a small  steam-engine  built 
by  himself.  He  is  fond  of  entertaining  European 
guests  in  European  style ; his  reception-room  is 
brilliantly  illuminated  with  innumerable  little 
cocoanut-oil  lamps. 

The  Krung  Charoon,  or  main  highway  of 
Bangkok,  is  several  miles  in  length,  and  used 
l)y  the  nobility  and  foreigners  for  driving,  except 
during  tlie  high  tide  of  the  river,  when  it  is  often 
partly  under  water.  The  liveliest  quarters  in  the 
ca2)ital  are  those  mainly  occupied  by  the  Chinese, 
with  their  eating-houses,  pawnbrokers’  and  drug- 
shoj3S  and  the  ubiquitous  gambling  establish- 
ments, and  with  a Chinese  waiang,  or  theatre, 
near  by. 

The  finest  view  of  the  city  and  its  surround- 
ings is  from  the  summit  of  Wat  Sikhet. 

The  summer  palace  recently  erected  by  His 
Majesty,  a few  miles  beloAV  Ayuthia,  is  a large 
building  in  semi-European  style,  standing  amid 
lovely  parks  and  gardens,  ornamented  with  foun- 
tains and  statuary,  with  streams  spanned  by 
bridges,  and  a fine  lake  Avith  an  island  on  which 
is  built  a most  delightful  Siamese  summer-house. 
The  royal  wat  (temple)  opposite  this  palace  is  a 
pure  Gothic  building  fitted  with  regular  pews 
and  a handsome  stained-glass  window. 

“ There  are  a few  houses  in  Bangkok,  occupied 
by  the  ‘ upper  ten,’  built  of  stone  and  brick,  but 


THE  SECOND  BASIN— SIAM. 


31 


those  of  the  middle  classes  are  of  wood,  while  the 
habitations  of  the  poor  are  constructed  of  light 
bamboos  and  roofed  with  leaves  of  the  atap  palm. 
Fires  are  frequent,  and  from  the  combustible 
character  of  the  erections  hundreds  of  habita- 
tions are  often  destroyed.  But  in  a few  days 
the  mischief  is  generally  repaired,  for  on  such 
occasions  friends  and  neighbors  lend  a willing 
hand.” 

Some  of  the  entertainments  of  the  nobility  are 
in  the  European  style.  Miss  Coffman  describes 
one  given  to  the  foreign  residents  by  the  Kroma- 
tah,  or  minister  of  foreign  affairs,  to  celebrate  the 
birthday  of  the  young  king : “ The  city  was  illu- 
minated. We  left  home  about  eight  and  returned 
at  eleven  p.  m.  In  front  of  the  house  was  lattice- 
work  with  an  archway  brilliantly  illuminated.  A 
strip  of  brussels  carpet  was  laid  from  the  archway 
to  the  steps.  The  house  was  elegantly  furnished 
in  foreign  style.  In  the  reception-room  were 
three  flower-stands,  the  centre  one  of  silver  and 
the  other  two  glass,  each  having  little  fountains 
playing.  The  sofas  and  chairs  were  cushioned 
with  blue  silk.  An  excellent  band  discoursed 
harmonious  music,  and  on  the  arrival  of  His 
Majesty  a salute  was  fired.” 

The  dress  and  habits  of  the  court-circles  have 
undergone  an  entire  revolution  within  the  last 
few  years.  The  men  wear  neat  linen,  collar  and 
cravat ; an  English  dress-coat,  with  the  native 


SIAMESE  GENTEEMAN  IN  MODERN  COURT-DRESS. 


SlAMEi?E  LADY  IN’  MODERN  COURT-DRESS. 


:U 


S^A^f  AND  LAOS. 


p’anoong  arranged  much  like  knickerbockers ; 
shoes  and  stockings.  The  court-dress  of  a 
Siamese  lady  consists  of  a neat,  closely-fitting 
jacket,  finished  at  throat  and  wrists  with  frills 
of  Avhite  muslin  and  lace,  and  a p’anoong  similar 
to  that  worn  by  the  men.  The  artistic  arrange- 
ment of  the  scarf  is  a matter  of  much  importance. 
Before  a new  one  is  worn  the  plaits  are  carefully 
laid  and  the  shawl  placed  in  a damp  cloth  and 
pounded  with  a mallet  till  it  is  dry.  This  fixes 
the  folds  so  that  they  last  as  long  as  the  fabric, 
and  also  gives  a pretty  gloss  to  the  goods.  Since 
the  introduction  of  the  jacket,  instead  of  the 
many  chains  they  wear  valuable  belts  of  woven 
gold  with  jeweled  buckles,  and  instead  of  a num- 
ber of  rings  on  ever}'’  finger,  fewer  and  more  val- 
uable gems. 

It  is  difficult  for  a stranger  to  distinguish  a 
woman  of  the  lower  classes  from  a man,  as  in 
dress,  manner,  appearance  and  occupation  they 
seem  so  much  alike.  The  streets,  the  market- 
places and  the  temples  are  crowded  with  women. 
Housekeeping  and  needlework  form  so  small  a 
part  of  female  labor  here  that  much  opportunity 
is  given  for  out-of-door  work. 

John  Chinaman  too  is  everywhere  in  Bang- 
kok, and  at  the  floating  Chinese  eating-shops  or 
little  boats  a simple  meal  of  rice,  curry  and  fish 
can  be  had  for  a few  cents. 

The  king’s  garden  is  thrown  open  once  a week 


SIAM. 


35 


to  tlie  public,  and  au  excellent  native  baud  plays 
for  several  hours. 

Progress  marks  the  condition  of  things  in 
Bangkok.  The  young  king  is  one  of  the  most 
advanced  sovereigns  of  Eastern  Asia.  He  has 
made  a study  of  the  laws  and  institutions  of 
Western  civilization,  and  has  a manly  ambition 
to  make  the  most  of  his  country.  All  foreigners 
who  meet  him  speak  well  of  him.  He  is  bright, 
amiable  and  courteous  in  his  personal  intercourse, 
and  devotes  much  time  to  state  business,  assisted 
by  his  brother  and  private  secretary,  usually 
called  Prince  Devan,  who,  though  young,  has 
the  reputation  of  being  a keen,  thoughtful 
statesman.  A younger  brother  is  at  present 
being  educated  at  Oxford.  The  king  is  a little 
over  thirty,  slight  in  figure,  erect,  with  fine  eyes 
and  fair  complexion  for  a Siamese.  He  was  born 
on  the  22d  of  September,  1853,  and  came  to  the 
throne  when  only  fifteen  years  of  age. 

Paknam  is  situated  near  the  entrance  of  the 
eastern  mouth,  an  extensive  mud-flat  obliging 
the  largest  vessels  to  And  anchorage  on  the 
open  roadstead  at  the  head  of  the  gulf.  Five 
miles  above  Paknam  is  Paklatlang,  the  entrance 
of  the  canal  which  shortens  one-half  the  distance 
by  river  from  Bangkok.  This  canal,  however,  is 
only  available  for  small  boats.  A carriage-road 
runs  from  Bangkok  to  Paknam,  some  twenty-five 
miles,  and  here  is  the  custom-house  and  port  of 


36 


SIAM  AND  LAOS 


I'iingkok.  The  last  division  of  the  jNEenain  oc- 
curs below  Bangkok,  and  the  river  finally  dis- 
gorges itself  by  three  months  into  the  gulf. 

Two  rivers  from  the  Avest  fall  into  the  middle 
and  Avesternmost  mouths — the  Sachen,  Avith  its 
toAvns  and  villages,  sugar-plantations  and  mills 
scattered  all  along  its  elegant  flexions,  connect- 
ing by  canals  Avith  the  Menam  east  and  the 
Meklong  Avest ; and  the  Meklong,  an  independ- 
ent stream  from  the  Karen  country,  floAving 
through  a narroAV  but  extremely  fertile  valley 
in  Avhich  hills  and  plains  of  some  extent  alter- 
nate. The  capital  of  the  })rovince  is  situated  at 
the  junction  of  the  canal — a town  of  twenty  to 
thirty  thousand  inhabitants,  noted  as  the  birth- 
place of  the  Siamese  TAvins. 

The  “ Sam-ra-yot,”  or  Three  Hundred  Peaks, 
separate  Siam  from  Burmah.  This  chain  consists 
of  a series  of  bold  conical  hills,  extremely  ragged 
on  their  flanks  and  covered  Avith  immense  teak- 
forests  stretching  hundreds  of  miles  over  moun- 
tains and  A^alleys.  The  noted  pass  of  the  Three 
Pagodas  across  this  range  folloAvs  a branch  known 
as  the  Meklong  Nee  to  the  last  Karen  town  on 
the  Siamese  frontier,  thence  on  foot  or  elephants 
across  the  summit  to  the  head-waters  of  the 
Ataran,  and  by  canoes,  shooting  the  rapids,  a 
somewhat  abrupt  descent,  to  Maulmein. 

Petchaburee,  on  the  western  side  of  the  gulf, 
near  the  foot  of  this  range,  is  a sanitarium  for 


VIEW  OF  PAKNAM  ON  THE  MENAM. 


38 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


natives  and  Europeans.  Here  is  the  Presbyterian 
mission  compound,  and  on  the  summit  of  a neigh- 
boring hill  is  the  king’s  summer  palace.  The 
Tavoy  road  leads  through  this  town.  The  Lao- 
tian captives  who  built  the  royal  palace  are  settled 
in  villages  all  over  the  Petchaburee  valley ; “ their 
bamboo  huts  with  tent-like  roofs,  thatched  with 
long  dried  grass,  rise  from  the  expanse  of  level 
plain  among  fruit  and  palm  trees  like  green 
islands  in  the  sea.”  Each  hut  has  its  well- 
tilled  kitchen-garden,  its  tobacco-  and  cotton- 
plot.  The  latter,  dyed  with  vegetable  and 
mineral  substances,  the  women  weave  on  their 
own  looms  for  family  use.  With  the  exception 
of  a few  Chinese  articles,  everything  about  these 
hamlets  is  of  native  make.  The  Laotian  serfs 
are  superior  to  the  Siamese  physically,  and  have 
more  force  of  character. 

The  Malay  peninsula  projects  from  the  Isth- 
mus of  Kraw  (lat.  10°  N.),  six  or  seven  hundred 
miles  to  Cape  Romania,  opposite  Singapore.  If 
the  estuaries  between  the  Pakshan  and  Chomphon 
Rivers  are  ever  united  by  a ship-canal,  the  penin- 
sula would  be  put  where  it  ethnically  and  geo- 
graphically belongs,  as  one  of  the  islands  of  the 
Eastern  Archipelago. 

Much  of  the  peninsula  is  still  one  of  the  unex- 
plored portions  of  the  globe.  The  rich  stan- 
niferous granite  of  the  rocky  spine  running  from 
Kraw  Point  to  the  alluvial  plain  at  the  south  is 


THE  MALAY  PEATNSULA. 


39 


probably  the  most  extensive  storehouse  of  tin  in 
the  world.  Across  the  mountains  there  are 
scarcely  anywhere  beaten  tracks,  and  the  natu- 
ral passes  between  the  coasts  are  mostly  over- 
groAVii  with  jungles.  Numerous  hot  springs  and 
frequent  earthquakes  attest  the  presence  of  active 
igneous  forces.  Coal  has  been  recently  discov- 
ered near  Kraw  Point.  Gold  and  silver  are 
associated  with  the  tin,  and  iron  abounds  in 
the  south. 

Apart  from  the  Chinese  immigrants,  who  here, 
as  elsewhere,  monopolize  trade,  the  inhabitants 
may  be  classed  under  three  heads — the  full- 
blooded  Siamese  of  the  North ; the  Samsams, 
or  mixed  Malay  and  Siamese  population ; and 
the  southern  Malays,  subdivided  into  the  rude 
aborigines,  who  inhabit  the  wooded  uplands  of 
Malacca,  and  the  more  cultivated  Mohammedan 
Malays,  who  under  the  influence,  first  of  the 
Hindoos  and  then  of  the  Arabs,  have  developed 
a national  life  and  culture  and  formed  states  in 
various  parts  of  the  Archipelago.  They  are 
migratory  in  their  habits,  and  perhaps  come 
next  to  the  Chinese  as  sailors  and  traders  and  in 
the  spirit  of  adventure.  Like  most  followers  of 
the  False  Prophet,  they  are  devoutly  attached  to 
their  faith,  tliough  in  all  other  respects  they 
readily  accommodate  themselves  to  the  social 
usages  of  the  Siamese  and  Chinese.  They  wear 
turbans  and  loose  trousers  and  carry  a bent 


40 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


poignard.  Thougli  not  a quarrelsome  race, 
when  excited  they  become  reckless  and  fero- 
cious. For  a long  time  this  Malay  race  was 
classed  as  an  independent  division  of  mankind, 
but  is  now  considered  as  affiliated  with  the 
Mongol  stock,  closely  resembling  the  Siamese. 
The  Malayan  tongue,  with  its  simple  structure 
and  easy  acquirement,  is  a valuable  instrument 
of  communication  throughout  the  whole  of  Far- 
ther India. 

The  Bang  Pakong,  thirty  miles  east  of  Pak- 
nam,  has  its  sources  in  the  Cambodian  Mountains 
and  drains  a highly-productive  country.  Sugar 
and  rice  are  extensively  cultivated  along  its 
banks.  Bang  Pasoi,  its  port,  has  a considerable 
trade  with  the  interior.  A delightful  view  of 
the  surrounding  country  may  be  enjoyed  from 
a small  mountain  south  of  the  town.  To  the 
west  are  extensive  salt-works,  the  sea  being  let 
into  large  Hats  enclosed  by  embankments  and 
left  to  evaporate  with  the  heat  of  the  sun.  Cart- 
roads  lead  off  to  the  neighboring  villages,  to 
Anghin,  and  thence  to  Chantaboon,  five  or  six 
days’  journey.  Buffaloes  are  used  here  for  carts, 
and  there  are  also  some  riding  horses  and  ele- 
phants. 

Anghin  is  a little  village  frequented  by  for- 
eigners for  a few  weeks  in  February  or  March 
for  surf-bathing.  A sanitarium  was  erected 
there  some  years  ago,  and  the  following  adver- 


POUT  OF  CHANTABOON. 


42 


67.1.1/  .l.VX>  L.106’. 


tisemeiit  appeared  in  tlie  Bangkok  newspaper, 
August  29,  1868 : 

“ His  Excellency  Alion  Pliya  Bhibakrwongs 
Malia  Kosa  Dhipude,  the  Phra  Klang,  Minister 
of  Foreign  Affairs,  has  huilt  a sanitarium  at 
Anghin  for  the  benefit  of  the  public.  It  is 
for  the  benefit  of  the  Siamese,  Europeans  or 
Americans  to  go  and  occujiy  wdien  unwell  to 
restore  their  health.  All  are  cordially  invited 
to  go  there  for  a suitable  length  of  time  and 
be  happy,  but  are  requested  not  to  remain 
month  after  month  and  year  after  year,  and 
regard  it  as  a place  without  an  owner.  To 
regard  it  in  this  way  cannot  be  allowed,  for  it 
is  public  property,  and  others  should  go  and 
stop  there  also.” 

The  eastern  coast  of  the  gulf  is  lined  with 
numerous  hills,  and  a little  way  out  in  the 
gulf  are  islands,  many  of  them  extremely  pre- 
cipitous and  wild  and  romantic  in  appearance. 
Chantaboon,  the  most  eastern  Siamese  j)rovince 
on  the  gulf,  is  one  of  the  most  fertile  and 
j)opulous  districts.  The  government  regards  it 
as  of  much  importance,  and  has  fortified  it  at 
great  expense. 

The  plain  is  irrigated  by  a network  of  short 
streams.  The  coast  west  of  the  bay  is  mountain- 
ous, and  a projecting  arm  guards  the  entrance. 
The  river  near  its  mouth  is  perfectly  clear,  wdiile 
the  Menam  is  muddy.  Ten  miles  inland  of  the 


THE  SECOND  BASIN— SIAM. 


43 


coast  the  Sah  Bap  hills  extend  some  thirty  miles. 
Bishop  Pallegoix  says  that  in  an  hour  or  two’s 
wandering  through  these  mountains  his  party 
collected  a handful  of  precious  stones.  Gems 
are  more  abundant  on  the  frontiers  of  the  Xong 
tribes,  at  the  north-east  corner  of  the  gulf,  where 
the  mountains  form  an  almost  circular  barrier 
and  the  wild  highlanders  are  accused  of  poison- 
ing the  frontier  wells  to  keep  olF  strangers.  Ship- 
timber  abounds  near  Chantaboon,  and  building 
after  European  models  is  prosecuted  with  vigor 
at  the  government  dockyards.  The  chief  town 
is  situated  some  miles  inland,  near  Sah  Bap, 
where  the  windings  of  the  little  streams,  the 
high  forest-clad  mountains,  give  a varied  and 
picturesque  aspect,  and  the  climate,  owing  to 
the  mixture  of  sea-  and  mountain-air,  is  more 
propitious  than  at  Bangkok. 

The  famous  Lion  Bock,  a mass  of  rudely- 
shaped  stone  which  stands  like  the  extremity 
of  a cape  near  this  port,  is  held  in  great  ven- 
eration by  the  natives.  “ From  a distance,” 
says  M.  Mouhot,  “it  so  resembles  a lion  that 
it  is  difficult  to  believe  that  nature  unassisted 
formed  this  singular  colossus.  Siamese  verse 
records  an  affecting  complaint  against  the  cru- 
elty of  the  Western  barbarian — an  English  cap- 
tain, whose  offer  to  purchase  had  been  refused, 
having  pitilessly  fired  all  his  guns  at  the  poor 
animal.” 


44 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


The  small  tributary  kingdom  of  Korat,  north- 
east of  Bangkok,  can  only  be  reached  through 
an  extensive  malarious  jungle  called,  on  account 
of  its  fatal  character,  “ Dong  Phya  Phai,”  the 
Forest  of  the  King  of  Fire.  All  sorts  of  wild 
tales  and  legends  are  told  of  perils  from  robbers, 
wild  beasts  and  malarious  sickness — supposed  to 


LIOX  KOCK,  AT  THE  ENTRANCE  OF  THE  PORT  OF  CHANTA- 
BOON. 


be  the  curse  of  evil  spirits  inflicted  on  those 
hardy  enough  to  venture  into  this  lion’s  den. 
Dr.  House  was  the  first  Avhite  man  who  ever 
visited  Korat,  in  1853,  while  engaged  in  an  ex- 
tensive missionary  tour  through  the  Cambodian 
valley,  and  M.  Mouhot  came  several  years  later. 
But  the  whole  province  is  little  more  than  a 
nest  of  robbers,  largely  made  up  of  vagrants, 
escaped  prisoners  and  slaves.  Nine  miles  east 
of  Korat,  the  principal  town,  is  a remarkable 


CAMBODIA  N R UIXS. 


45 


ruin  of  the  same  general  style  as  the  Cambodian 
ruins  of  Siamrap. 

Cambodian  Ruins  of  Siamkap. 

In  Eastern  Siam,  about  fifteen  miles  north  of 
the  great  lake  of  Cambodia,  are  some  of  the  most 
extraordinary  architectural  relics  of  the  world. 

A trip  of  several  hundred  miles  tlirough  a 
land  where  salas  bare  of  furniture  are  the  only 
inns  makes  it  advisable  to  carry  our  own  bed- 
ding, lay  in  supplies  and  provide  a cook  before 
leaving  Bangkok,  A Cambodian  servant  to  act 
as  guide  and  interpreter  is  also  needed. 

A canal-trip  due  east  from  Bangkok  brings  us 
to  the  Kabin  branch  of  the  Bang  Pakong  River. 
]\Ir.  Thomson  describes  this  as  “ a romantically 
beautiful  little  stream,  Avhere  Ave  seemed  to  have 
retired  to  a region  unknown  to  men,  inhabited 
only  by  the  lower  order  of  animals.  Monkeys 
walked  leisurely  beside  the  banks  or  folloAved 
us  with  merry  chattering  along  the  overhanging 
boughs,  while  tall  wading-birds  with  tufted  heads 
and  snow-white  plumage  and  rose-tipped  wings 
paused  in  the  business  of  peering  for  fish  to  gaze 
Avith  grave  dignity  upon  the  unfamiliar  intruders. 
Some  Avere  so  near  that  Ave  could  have  struck  them 
down  with  our  oars,  but  to  avoid  this  outrage  they 
marched  Avith  a calm  and  stately  stride  into  the 
thickets  of  the  adjoining  jungle.” 

Kabin  is  the  entrepot  of  trade  with  the  far  in- 


40 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


terior.  Chinese  merchants  here  waylay  the  ele- 
phant-trains from  Battabong  and  Laos,  exchang- 
ing salt  and  Chinese  or  European  wares  for  horns, 
hides,  silk,  oil  and  cardamoms.  Mines  near  Ka- 
bin  are  said  to  furnish  the  most  ductile  gold  in 
the  world. 

Leaving  our  boats,  elephants  and  a buffalo-cart 
are  engaged.  We  step  from  the  veranda  of  the 
hut  perched  on  poles  to  the  elephant’s  head  and 
into  the  howdah.  The  driver  sits  astride  his 
neck,  guiding  when  needful  with  an  iron-pointed 
staff.  A military  road  from  Kabin  leads  to  the 
borders  of  Cochin-China.  Sesupon,  the  first 
Cambodian  town,  on  the  frontier  of  provinces 
wrested  hy  Siam  from  Cambodia  a century  ago, 
is  first  reached.  Some  of  the  people,  including 
the  Siamese  governor  and  officials,  speak  both 
languages. 

It  is  possibly  harvest-time ; in  the  fields  the 
reapers  are  among  their  crops.  Some  of  the 
plains  are  covered  with  tall  grass  ten  feet  high. 
There  are  perhaps  burnt  patches  or  a spark  has 
just  started  a fire,  and  the  flames,  swept  on  by 
the  wind,  are  roaring,  crackling  and  sending  up 
dense  columns  of  smoke  in  their  wake.  As  we 
pass  under  the  overarching  branches  of  trees  in 
the  forest  our  elephant  keeps  an  eye  the  Avhile 
ahead,  and  when  some  lower  limb  would  strike 
the  howdah  he  halts,  raises  his  trunk  and  breaks 
it  off.  AVe  toil  up  and  over  the  watershed  and 


CAMBODIAN  RUINS. 


47 


down  a steep  bank  to  the  river’s  brink  through 
the  tall  grass  and  bamboos,  our  beast  sometimes 
sliding  on  his  haunches,  then  bracing  and  feeling 
the  way  with  his  trunk,  or  plunging  into  the  soft 
ooze  of  the  river,  wading  through  water  so  deep 
that  nothing  but  the  howdah  and  elephant’s 
head  and  trunk  appear  above  the  surface,  and 
then  climbing  with  slow  but  sure  steps  up  a 
bank  at  least  forty-five  degrees  steep. 

Overtaken  at  night  away  from  a town,  we 
encamp  under  the  trees.  Our  attendants  make 
an  enclosure  with  the  cart  and  branches  of  trees, 
placing  the  cattle  inside.  We  cook  and  eat  our 
evening  meal,  making  a great  fire  and  boiling 
the  coffee  and  rice  over  the  bright  coals.  Our 
bivouac  is  underneath  the  stars  on  branches 
piled  high  above  the  malarious  surface  of  the 
ground.  The  natives  watch  in  turn,  keeping 
up  the  fire  to  drive  off  wild  beasts.  Elephants 
prowl  in  droves  outside  the  enclosure  and  cries 
of  jackals  disturb  our  dreams.  Possibly  in  the 
morning  tiger-tracks  are  pointed  out  to  us. 

On  the  higher  waters  of  the  Sesupoii  Piver, 
running  south  to  the  lake,  are  the  first  traces  of 
the  ancient  Cambodian  civilization  in  the  shape 
of  a ruined  shrine  buried  beneath  overgrown 
jungle ; other  ruins  are  found  in  more  than 
forty  different  localities  up  to  the  confines  of 
China. 

Diverging  to  the  north-east,  evening  finds  us 


4S 


SLiM  AXD  LAOS. 


sheltered  in  a sala  near  the  quaint  old  town  of 
Panoinsok.  To  the  north  are  the  first  altitudes 
of  the  upland  steppes  of  Laos.  After  such  toil- 
some tlays  and  nights  of  exposure,  crossing  some 
sunny  eminences  and  ancient  stone  bridges,  we 
finally  reach  Siamrap,  situated ^on  a small  stream 
about  ten  miles  from  the  head  of  Thalay  Sap. 

It  is  a walled  city,  the  teakwood  gates  thickly 
studded  with  large  iron  nails,  the  gateways  sur- 
mounted by  curious  pointed  towers.  Houses 
similar  to  those  of  the  middle  class  in  Bangkok, 
the  court-house  and  governor’s  residence,  are  the 
only  substantial  buildings.  Extensive,  straggling 
suburbs  extend  southward  for  several  miles  on 
either  bank  of  the  river.  The  province  has  from 
eight  to  ten  thousand  inhabitants,  all  Cambo- 
dians. Dr.  McFarland  reports:  “We  found  but 
two  or  three  ])ersous  who  understood  the  Siamese 
language.  The  governor  was  a rather  intelligent 
young  Cambodian  who  had  been  educated  at 
Bangkok,  and  of  course  spoke  Siamese.  He  was 
pleasant,  affable  and  very  fond  of  foreigners.” 

The  communication  with  Panompen,  the  Cam- 
bodian capital,  is  by  boat  down  the  river  and 
crossing  to  the  lower  end  of  the  lake,  then  by 
the  river  which  connects  the  lake  with  the  Me- 
kong. From  Siamrap  to  Panompen  requires  six 
days  by  boat. 

Half  a dozen  miles  north  of  Siamrap,  in  the 
midst  of  a lonely  forest,  we  come  upon  the  cele- 


CAMBODIAX  BUIXS. 


49 


brated  ruins  of  Xagkon  Thom,  or  Angkor  the 
Great,  and  Xagkon  Wat,  the  City  of  ^lonaste- 
ries,  is  a few  miles  off.  The  city  ruins  to-day 
are  little  more  than  piles  of  stone  among  the 
jungles.  The  outer  wall,  built  of  immense  vol- 
canic rocks,  is  best  preserved.  The  natives  say 
an  entire  day  is  necessary  to  circumambulate  the 
walls.  A mutilated  statue  of  the  traditional  leper 
king  is  seated  on  a stone  platform  near  the  gate 
of  the  inner  wall,  protected  by  a grass  thatch. 
The  pedestal  has  an  ancient  inscription  on  stone. 
The  ruins  are  in  the  charge  of  a provincial  officer, 
who  lives  in  a lodge  near  the  palace.  There  are 
some  old  towers  still  standing. 

Some  thirty  miles  distant  are  the  Riclii  Moun- 
tains, said  to  contain  the  quarries  from  which  the 
supply  of  stone  was  obtained.  A broad  causeway, 
still  in  serviceable  repair,  leads  to  the  foot  of 
these  hills.  ]\Ir.  Thomson  tried  to  go  there,  but 
the  thick  jungle  made  it  imjDOssible  to  penetrate 
to  the  quarries  even  on  elephants,  although  the 
officer  who  accompanied  him  made  a series  of 
offerings  at  several  ruined  shrines  in  order  to 
propitiate  the  malignant  spirits  supposed  to  in- 
fest these  wilds. 

Concerning  Angkor  the  Great  ancient  tradi- 
tion speaks  in  most  extravagant  terms,  as  being 
of  “great  extent,  with  miles  of  royal  treasure- 
houses,  thousands  of  war-elephants,  millions  of 
foot-soldiers  and  innumerable  tributary  princes.” 


50 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


A road  through  the  forest  conuects  this  once  roy- 
al city  with  Nagkon  Wat.  Along  this  road  a side- 
path  leads  to  an  observatory,  overgrown  with  shrubs 
and  vines,  standing  on  a terraced  hill  and  com- 
manding a wide  view  of  the  surrounding  region. 

The  main  entrance  approaches  the  wat  on  the 
west,  crossing  by  an  immense  stone  causeway 
over  a deep,  wide  moat  and  under  a lofty  gate- 
way guarded  by  colossal  stone  lions  hewn,  pedes- 
tal and  all,  from  a single  block.  The  structure 
rises  in  three  quadrangular  tiers,  of  thirty  feet,  one 
above  the  other,  facing  the  four  points  of  the 
compass,  on  a cruciform  platform.  Out  of  the 
highest  central  point  springs  a great  tower  one 
hundred  and  eighty  feet  high,  and  four  inferior 
corner-towers  rise  around.  It  has  been  suggested 
that  Mount  Menu,  the  centre  of  the  Buddhist  uni- 
verse, with  its  sacred  rock-circles,  is  symbolized, 
the  three  platforms  representing  earth,  water  and 
wind.  Flights  of  steep  stairways,  each  step  a single 
block  and  some  having  fifty  or  sixty  steps,  lead 
from  terrace  to  terrace.  Long  galleries  with 
stone  floors,  stone  roofs,  and  walls  having  a 
surface  smooth  as  polished  marble,  covered  with 
elaborately  chiseled  bas-reliefs,  are  flanked  by 
rows  of  monolithic  pillars  whose  girth  and 
height  rival  noble  oaks.  The  centre  compart- 
ments are  walled  in,  and  the  remaining  two- 
thirds  of  the  space  consists  of  open  colonnades. 
The  inner  walls  of  these  open  galleries  have 


CAMBODIAN  liUlNS. 


51 


blank  windows ; seven  stone  bars,  uniform  in 
size  and  beanlifiilly  carved  with  the  sacred 
lotus,  form  a sort  of  balcony  to  each  window. 

The  bas-reliefs  have  thousands  of  nearly  life- 
size  figures,  representing  scenes  from  the  great 
Indian  epic  Ramayana  — battle-scenes,  proces- 
sions of  warriors,  and  the  struggle  of  the  angels 
with  the  giants  for  the  possession  of  Phaya 
Naght,  the  snake  god.  The  majority  of  these 
are  executed  Avith  care  and  skill,  and  form  one 
of  the  chief  attractions  of  the  wat.  Specimens 
of  the  more  beautiful,  and  also  casts  of  the  in- 
scriptions, have  been  transported  to  the  Cambo- 
dian Museum  of  Paris,  but,  unfortunately,  M. 
Mohl,  the  celebrated  Orientalist  entrusted  with 
the  task  of  deciphering  these  unknoAvn  charac- 
ters, died  before  reaching  any  satisfactory  con- 
clusion. Scholars  seem  inclined  to  regard  the 
inscriptions  as  derived  rather  from  the  Pali  or 
Sanskrit  than  the  Malay  or  Chinese  language. 

Mr.  Thomson,  the  English  traveler,  with  his 
photographs,  has  best  introduced  these  wonderful 
ruins  to  English  readers.  Mr.  Frank  Vincent’s 
very  readable  account  of  his  visit  to  these  ruins 
in  company  with  Dr.  McFarland,  in  1871,  also 
gives  us  much  valuable  information  and  repro- 
duces some  of  the  English  photographs.  Dr. 
McFarland  states  that  “this  Avonderful  structure 
covers  an  area  of  over  ten  acres — that  the  space 
enclosed  Avithin  the  temple-grounds  is  tAvo  him- 


52 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


dred  and  eiglit  acres,  and  tlie  sjjace  within  the 
walls  of  the  city  is  over  two  thousand  acres.  The 
temple  is  built  entirely  of  stone.  These  stones 
were  brought  a distance  of  about  thirty  miles, 
and  must  have  required  the  labor  of  thousands 
of  men  for  many  years.  There  is  no  such  thing 
as  mortar  or  cement  used  in  the  building,  and 
yet  the  stones  are  so  closely  fitted  as  in  some 
places  to  appear  without  seam.  These  ruins, 
together  with  the  beautiful  little  lakes  that  dot 
the  plain  and  the  remnants  of  splendid  roads 
that  once  traversed  the  country,  show  that  those 
formerly  inhabiting  this  valley  were  a powerful 
race.” 

And  as  we  in  turn  ponder  and  gaze  on  these 
evidences  of  an  unknown  civilization  a spell  falls 
upon  our  imagination.  We  seem  to  see  these 
forsaken  altars  thronged  by  devotees,  and  through 
the  valley  are  busy  cities  adorned  with  stately 
palaces,  astir  with  the  human  life  of  a powerful, 
opulent  kingdom.  But  vainly  do  we  conjecture 
how  ruins  of  such  solidity,  so  stupendous  in  scale, 
of  elaborate  design  and  excellent  execution,  could 
have  lain  forgotten  through  centuries  in  this 
lonely  forest-district  of  an  almost  unknown 
portion  of  the  globe ; nor  can  the  sloth  and 
ignorance  of  the  present  semi-civilized  inhabit- 
ants offer  any  trustworthy  solution  of  the  prob- 
lem. They  reply,  “ We  cannot  tell,”  “ They 
made  themselves,”  “ The  giants  built  them,”  or 


CAMBODIAN  RUINS. 


53 


refer  to  a vague  local  tradition  of  an  Egyptian 
king,  turned  into  a leper  for  an  act  of  sacrilege, 
as  the  reputed  founder  of  the  wat. 

The  present  good  condition  of  the  ruins  of 
Nagkon  Wat  is  largely  due  to  the  late  king  of 
Siam,  who  gave  them  in  charge  of  the  small 
religions  brotherhood  now  living  in  little  huts 
under  the  very  shadow  of  the  gray  walls. 

Travelers  describe  Nagkon  Wat  as  “a  rival  of 
Solomon’s  temple”  and  “ grander  than  anything 
left  us  by  Greece  or  Rome,”  “ occupying  a larger 
space  than  the  ruins  of  Karnac,”  “ imposing  as 
Thebes  or  JMemphis,  and  more  mysterious.” 

But  the  credit  of  what  might  be  called  the 
rediscovery  of  these  wonderful  remains  amidst 
the  forest  solitudes  of^Siamrap  is  due  to  M. 
Mouhot,  after  these  remnants  of  a lost  past  had 
for  ages  been  forgotten  by  all  the  world  outside 
of  their  immediate  vicinity.  The  innumerable 
idols  and  thousands  of  bats  hanging  from  the 
ceilings  would  seem  to  have  held  undisturbed 
possession  for  centuries. 

Fergusson’s  opinion,  that  this  shrine  was  de- 
voted to  the  worship  of  tlie  snake  god  (see  Tree 
and  Serpent  Worship) , is  not  in  accord  with  the 
views  of  Gamier,  Thomson  and  others,  who 
agree  that  it  must  have  been  erected  in  honor 
of  Buddha.  Dr.  Bastian,  president  of  the  Ber- 
lin Geographical  Society,  thinks,  with  Bislioj) 
Pallegoix,  that  the  j)robable  date  of  the  l)uild- 


54 


SIAM  AXD  LAOS. 


ing — at  least  its  commencement — was  the  grant! 
event  from  which  the  civil  era  of  Siam  dates — 
viz.  the  introduction  of  the  sacred  Buddhist 
canon  from  Ceylon  in  the  seventh  century. 
The  general  aj)pearauce  of  the  worn  stairways, 
and  the  dilapidated  condition  of  the  city,  sloAvly 
mouldering  under  the  destructive  encroachments 
of  a tropical  jungle,  would  seem  to  indicate  great 
age.  Yet  the  mediaeval  narrative  of  Cambodian 
travel  by  a Chinese  officer,  late  in  the  thirteenth 
century,  recently  translated  by  M.  Remusat, 
contains  no  allusion  to  this  great  temple,  which 
has  induced  some  to  conclude  that  the  building 
belongs  to  a later  period.  In  1570  a.  d.  a Portu- 
guese refugee  from  Japan  refers  to  these  “ ruins” 
and  the  inscriptions  thereon  as  being  in  “ an 
unknown  tongue.” 

III.  THE  THIRD  BASIN— VALLEY  OF  THE 
MEKONG. 

The  hill-country  which  sej)arates  the  valley  of 
Siam  from  that  of  the  Mekong  (or  Mekaung) — 
known  in  its  lower  course  as  the  Cambodian 
River — is  of  moderate  elevation  and  the  bound- 
ary-lines not  well  defined. 

The  Mekong  is  one  of  the  most  remarkable 
streams  of  Asia.  It  rises  in  Thibet,  passes  through 
Western  Yunnan  parallel  with  the  Yangtse  and 
Salween,  till,  breaking  through  the  mountains 
not  far  from  each  other,  the  Yangtse  flows  across 


THE  THIRD  BASIN— MEKONG. 


55 


China  and  the  Salween  to  the  Bay  of  Bengal, 
while  the  Mekong,  crossing  Laos  and  Cambodia, 
after  a somewhat  devious  course  of  at  least  two 
thousand  miles  reaches  the  Cochin-China  delta. 

The  broken  character  of  the  Laos  country 
gives  the  Mekong  in  its  rapid  descent  from 
plateau  to  plateau  during  its  upper  course  the 
velocity  of  a mountain-torrent  as  it  tears  along, 
with  a noise  like  the  roaring  of  the  sea,  through 
deej3  gorges  overshadowed  by  rocky  defiles.  In 
Upper  Laos  the  river  is  from  six  to  eight  hun- 
dred feet  wide,  and  has  in  the  dry  season  an 
average  depth  of  twenty  feet,  while  the  banks 
are  some  twenty-five  feet  above  the  water,  the 
ditference  between  the  ordinary  height  and  flood- 
mark  being  very  great.  The  rainy  season  begins 
in  April  with  the  melting  snow ; the  water  rises 
gradually  from  that  time  to  July  or  August, 
when  the  country  is  flooded. 

It  was  at  Garnier’s  suggestion  that  the  great 
French  commission  of  exploration  was  sent  up 
this  river  through  Laos  and  Yunnan  to  Thibet, 
1866-68.  Gamier  being  considered  too  young, 
the  chief  command  was  entrusted  to  Captain 
Doudart  Lagree.  De  Came  (the  brilliant  jour- 
nalist of  the  Deux  Mondes)  formed  a third,  and 
an  armed  escort  accomjjanied  them.  The  pluck 
and  resolute  endurance  of  this  gallant  band  of 
Frenchmen,  who  during  two  years  of  exposure 
and  hardships  toiled  over  some  five  thousand 


56 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


miles  of  a country  almost  unknown  to  Euro- 
peans, command  our  admiration.  Gamier  took 
nearly  all  the  observations,  and  shortly  after  the 
death  of  Lagree  assumed  command  and  con- 
ducted the  expedition  safely  to  its  close.  De 
Came  describes  the  Mekong  as  “an  impassable 
river,  broken  at  least  thrice  by  furious  cataracts, 
and  having  a current  against  which  nothing  can 
navigate.”  M.  Mouhot,  the  pioneer  of  European 
explorers  in  this  valley,  says  that  his  boatmen 
sometimes  sought  fire  at  night  where  they  had 
cooked  their  rice  in  the  morning.  He  went  as 
far  as  Looang  Prabang,  the  north-eastern  Laos 
province  tributary  to  Siam,  where  he  died.  Here 
the  channel  is  very  wide  and  lake-like  in  its 
windings  through  a sort  of  circular  upland 
valley  some  nine  miles  in  diameter  and  shut  in 
by  mountains  north  and  south,  reminding  one 
of  the  beautiful  lake-scenery  of  Como  and 
Geneva.  “ If  it  were  not  for  the  blaze  of  a 
tropical  sun,  or  if  the  noonday  heat  were  even 
tempered  by  a breeze,  this  Laos  town  would  be 
a little  paradise,”  is  one  of  the  latest  entries  in 
Mouhot’s  journal. 

If  there  is  almost  an  excess  of  grandeur  in  the 
upper  courses  of  the  Mekong,  the  general  a.s])ect 
of  the  scenery  as  it  reaches  the  comparatively 
low  level  of  Siam  and  Cambodia  is  sombre  rather 
than  gay,  though  there  is  something  imposing  in 
the  rapidity  of  so  large  a volume  of  water.  Few 


THE  THIRD  BASIN— MEKOEG. 


57 


TYPES  OF  WOMEN  OF  FARTHER  INDIA. 


eight  or  nine  miles  long  and  more  than  a mile 
broad.  The  discovery  of  the  impracticability  of 
the  Mekong  for  inland  communication  Avith  Laos 
and  China  has  robbed  the  French  delta  of  much 
of  its  supposed  value. 

The  bulk  of  the  Laos  tribes  are  spread  over 
the  north-eastern  valley  of  the  Mekong,  from  21° 
to  13°  north  latitude.  This  extensive  region  is  a 


boats  are  to  be  seen,  and  the  banks  are  almost 
barren  on  account  of  the  undermining  of  the 
forests,  trees  constantly  falling  with  a crash  into 
the  stream.  For  some  tAvo  hundred  miles  from 
its  mouth  the  river  is  nearly  three  miles  Avide, 
and  is  studded  Avith  islands,  several  of  Avhich  are 


Cambodia. 


Laos. 


58 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


sort  of  terra  incognita,  reported  to  be  thickly 
settled  except  along  the  regions  contiguous  to 
the  Tonquin  Mountains,  where  the  villages  are 
exposed  to  sudden  raids  from  the  wild  tribes 
known  as  “ inhabitants  of  the  heights,”  who 
sometimes  strike  hands  with  the  Chinese  refu- 
gees in  making  a foray  over  the  border,  carry- 
ing off  the  peasants  as  slaves  and  driving  away 
cattle,  with  whatever  in  the  shape  of  plunder  can 
be  moved.  The  caravans  of  pack-traders  from 
Ssumao  on  the  Yunnan  frontier  bring  back  large 
loads  of  the  celebrated  so-callcd  Puekr  tea  and 
cotton ; whence  it  is  inferred  this  jDlain  must  be 
fertile  and  extensively  cultivated. 

Tala  Sap  (Sweet- water  Lake),  the  great  lake 
of  Cambodia,  forms  a sort  of  back-water  to  the 
river  Mekong,  with  which  its  lower  end  connects 
by  the  Udong.  It  belongs  partly  to  Siam  and 
partly  to  Cambodia.  It  is  one  of  those  sheets 
of  water  called  in  Bengal  jhcts — viz.  a shallow 
depression  in  an  alluvial  plain,  retaining  part  of 
the  annual  overflow  throughout  the  entire  year, 
hence  subject  to  great  variations  of  extent  and 
depth.  In  the  dry  season  the  average  depth  is 
four  feet,  and  the  highest  floods  entirely  sub- 
merge even  the  forests  on  its  banks.  It  takes 
about  five  days  to  traverse  the  lake  when  full. 

Extensive  fishing- villages,  erected  on  piles, 
stud  the  lake,  reminding  Mr.  Thomson  of  “the 
pre-historic  lake-dwellings  of  Switzerland.”  The 


CAMBODIA. 


59 


houses  are  above  a bamboo  platform  common  to 
the  entire  settlement  and  used  for  drying  fish. 
This  lake  is  an  object  of  superstitious  veneration 
to  the  natives,  the  fish  furnishing  them  with  the 
most  important  source  of  their  livelihood.  Enor- 
mous quantities  are  exported,  dried  or  alive  in 
cages,  while  immense  supplies  are  furnished  to 
Anamese  villages  to  be  boiled  down  into  oil, 
thus  giving  lucrative  employment  to  thousands. 

The  small  remnant  of  the  ancient  kingdom 
of  Cambodia  forms  a rough  parallelogram,  con- 
sisting in  large  part  of  an  alluvial  plain  lying 
athwart  the  ^Mekong,  uncomfortably  wedged  in 
between  Siam,  Anam  and  the  French  delta,  with 
a very  short  west  coast-line. 

It  would  appear  from  Chinese  annals  that  at 
an  early  period  the  Cambodians  were  an  exceed- 
ingly warlike  race,  and  that  their  authority  ex- 
tended over  many  of  the  Laos  and  even  Siam. 
But  for  centuries  Cambodian  influence  in  Indo- 
China  has  been  on  the  decline.  It  has  little 
more  than  the  name  of  an  independent  govern- 
ment at  present,  being  under  a joint  protectorate 
of  Siam  and  France,  and  tributary  to  both. 

The  Cambodians  differ  from  the  Siamese  in 
language,  but  in  habits  and  religion  resemble 
them,  with  the  usual  Indo-Chinese  type  of  gov- 
ernment. There  are  Homan  Catholic,  but  no 
Protestant,  missionaries  in  Cambodia  or  Cochin- 
China,  though  several  years  ago  strong  reasons 


60 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


were  urged  for  the  establishment  by  the  Ameri- 
can Presbyterian  Mission  of  an  out-station  at  one 
of  the  principal  Cambodian  towns. 

Panompen,  the  present  capital,  is  connected  by 
a small  steamer,  which  makes  regular  trips,  with 
Saigon.  Below  Panompen  the  river  divides  into 
two  streams,  which  flow  south  about  fifteen  miles 
apart,  and  empty  themselves  into  the  China  Sea. 
There  is  a labyrinth  of  intersecting  branches, 
creeks  and  canals  across  the  delta,  and  the  low 
shores  are  mostly  grown  wild  with  jungle. 

Saigon,  on  an  offshoot  narrow,  tortuous,  but 
navigable  for  vessels  of  the  heaviest  tonnage,  is 
situated  about  twenty-five  miles  inland.  The 
French  governor  resides  here,  and  is  assisted  in 
the  control  of  the  province  by  a legislative  and 
executive  council.  Extensive  parks  surround 
the  palace;  macadamized  roads  run  through  the 
city.  There  is  a public  promenade  along  the 
river,  and  botanical  gardens,  where  foreign  plants 
have  been  introduced  with  the  intent  of  their 
propagation.  The  spacious  harbor  with  its  float- 
ing dock  contains  a fleet  of  iron-clad  steamers, 
and  flags  of  the  different  consulates  are  floating 
from  the  line  of  mercantile  and  government 
oflSces  along  the  bank.  Telegraph  lines  connect 
Saigon  with  all  parts  of  the  peninsula,  and  sub- 
marine cables  with  the  outside  Avorld. 


THE  FOURTH  BASIN— TONQUIN. 


61 


IV.  THE  FOURTH  BASIN— TONQUIN. 

Tonquin,  the  north-east  corner  of  Indo-China, 
is  a province  of  Anam.  It  is  separated  hy  moun- 
tains from  Laos  and  Siam  and  also  from  the  Chi- 
nese empire.  The  Songkoi,  or  Red  River,  dom- 
inates the  whole  fluvial  system,  several  streams 
from  the  north  and  west  uniting,  and  then  divid- 
ing and  diverging,  so  as  to  form  a triangle  or 
delta.  Upon  these  streams  are  situated  the  im- 
portant towns.  This  Tonquinese  river  connects 
Yunnan  with  the  sea,  forming  an  important 
trade-route.  Its  port  is  Hanoi,  at  some  little 
distance  up  the  river,  just  as  Bangkok  is  in  re- 
gard to  the  Meuam.  For  the  acquirement  and 
control  of  this  waterway  French  enterprise  seems 
to  have  taken  the  satirical  counsel  of  Horace,  “Si 
possis  recte ; si  non,  quocunque  modo.” 

The  French  colonial  government  covers  an 
empire  in  Indo-China  similar  to  that  of  Great 
Britain  in  India,  and  would  like  to  annex  not 
only  Anam,  but  Cambodia  and  Eastern  Siam. 
Early  in  this  century,  at  the  instigation  of  Ro- 
man Catholic  missionaries,  who  have  played  an 
important  part  in  the  political  complications,  the 
French  assisted  Gialong,  an  Anamese  aspirant  to 
the  throne,  making  their  services  the  basis  of  a 
treaty  which  virtually  gave  them  the  protectorate 
of  the  whole  eastern  coast.  This  claim,  being 
disputed  by  the  successors  of  the  prince,  was  the 
pretext  for  further  encroachments.  The  court 


62 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


of  Hue,  too  weak  to  resist,  again  and  again  me- 
morialized the  Chinese  government,  and  each 
time  a strong  protest  was  made  by  China,  who 
naturally  objected  to  a foreign  power  holding 
the  trade-keys  of  some  of  her  richest  provinces. 
These  remonstrances  have  been  ignored,  and  the 
frank  statement  of  Dr.  Ilammand,  the  French 
civil  commissioner  in  Touquin,  is  not  calculated 
to  commend  Christian  ethics  to  the  Buddhists  of 
Southern  Asia.  “ When  a European  nation,”  he 
affirms,  “ comes  in  contact  with  a barbarous  peo- 
ple, and  has  begun  to  spread  around  its  civilizing 
influences,  there  comes  a time  when  it  becomes 
ij)so  facto  a necessity  to  extend  its  boundaries. 
There  is  no  country  more  favorable  to  our  de- 
velo23inent  than  the  kingdom  of  Anam.  The 
Anamese  recognize  that  we  are  incontestably 
their  superiors.  It  is  necessary  to  force  Anam 
to  accept  our  rule.”  This  has  been  done. 

An  able  writer  in  the  London  Quarterly  (Octo- 
ber, 1883)  says:  “The  railroad  route  from  Maul- 
mein  across  the  Chino-Shan  frontier  being  as- 
sured, an  upland  cross-road  of  some  seventy  or 
eighty  miles  north-east  would  lead  to  Yuan-Ki- 
ang  on  the  main  stream  of  the  Songkoi,  whence 
a road  would  lie  open  to  the  capital,  Yunnan-fu, 
or  south  to  the  mart  of  Manhao,  which  is  the 
head  wharf  of  the  Songkoi  Biver  navigation 
within  the  province  of  Yunnan,  and  thence  to 
the  Gulf  of  Tonquin.  . . . Siam,  the  Laos  prov- 


TONQUIN. 


G3 


iuces  tributary  and  independent,  Yunnan  and 
Tonquin  can  thus  be  brought  into  the  closest 
and  most  profitable  connection  with  Burinah,  all 
on  one  line,  at  once  the  easiest  and  most  expedi- 
tious across  the  peninsula,  and  thus  a short  direct 
line  for  goods-transit  be  provided  from  the  Gulf 
of  Tonquin  to  the  Bay  of  Bengal.  . . . This, 
then,  is  the  answer  to  the  riddle  of  the  Sphinx 
of  the  Far  East,  this  the  true  solution  of  the 
Indo-Chinese  overland  route  problem  ; by  this 
the  long-sought  goal  will  be  obtained,  and  the 
highest  benefits  conferred,  not  on  Burinah  and 
Yunnan  only,  but  on  India  and  China;  on  Siam 
and  the  Laos  country,  and  Tonquin  ; on  British 
and  Eurojiean  enterprise  throughout  the  China 
Sea  and  Indian  Ocean  alike — the  vision  of  Marco 
Polo  and  his  gallant  successors  realized.” 

This  northern  province  is  more  closely  con- 
nected with  China  in  government,  literature  and 
sympathy  than  with  the  rest  of  Anam.  The 
Tonquinese  use  the  Chinese  characters  for  the 
written  language,  and  near  the  frontier  the  An- 
amese  tongue  is  hardly  spoken;  their  laws  and 
customs  are  modeled  on  those  of  China ; the  in- 
ternal trade  is  in  Chinese  hands;  the  merchant 
quarter  of  Hanoi,  with  its  shops  and  well-paved 
streets,  is  purely  Chinese;  the  external  trade-cen- 
tre is  at  Hong  Kong.  Chinamen  marry  the 
women  of  the  country,  and  all  around  the  fringe 
of  the  delta  Chinese  and  half-breeds  form  the 


G4 


SrAM  AXD  LAOS. 


dominant  race.  It  is  even  hard  to  say  just 
wliere  Tonquin  ends  and  China  begins,  for 
there  is  a belt  of  debatable  land  along  the 
frontier,  narrow  in  the  north,  but  widening  to 
over  one  hundred  miles  in  the  hills,  and  in 
some  of  the  border  fortresses  Chinese  and  An- 
amese  exercise  joint  control. 

This  plateau  country,  along  the  upper  banks  of 
the  Songkoi  and  Claire  Rivers,  is  infested  by  wild 
native  tribes  and  Chinese  brigands  under  the 
names  of  “ Yellow  Flags”  and  “ Black  Flags,” 
who  erect  barriers  along  the  streams,  so  that 
travel  in  these  parts  is  tlangerous.  Hence  the 
importance  of  the  fortified  towns  of  Sontay  and 
Bacninh,  situated  close  to  these  outlaw  districts. 
From  Sontay  to  Hanoi  there  is  a well-made  em- 
bankment, shaded  by  fine  trees.  It  was  along 
this  road  that  Gamier  and  Reviere  met  their 
deaths  in  1873.  Most  of  the  travel  is  along  the 
river.  Throughout  the  province  almost  the  only 
highways  are  footpaths  across  the  jungles.  From 
Hanoi  roads  lead  north  to  China  and  south  to 
Hue.  The  influence  of  Hanoi,  through  Aiiam, 
is  Avidespread  as  a centre  of  fashion  as  well  as 
of  authority.  A French  writer  calls  it  the 
“ Paris  of  the  Anamese  empire.”  AVhat  more 
could  he  say  ? 

The  thickly-populated  delta,  intersected  by 
streams  and  tidal  creeks,  is  subjected  to  peri- 
odical inundations,  when  the  Avhole  face  of  the 


TOXQUIX. 


65 


country  lias  the  appearance  of  an  enornions  lake, 
with  here  and  there  clumps  of  trees,  villages  and 
pagodas.  Away  from  the  delta  only  the  valleys 


and  lower  slopes  are  cultivated,  and  the  rest  of 
the  province  is  a tangle  of  mountains  covered 
with  dense  forests,  of  which  little  is  known, 


6G 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


apart  from  tlie  Songkoi  and  minor  waterways, 
unless  from  the  reports  of  the  natives  or 
Roman  Catholic  missionaries.  The  postulation 
of  the  jtrovince  is  estimated  not  to  exceed  ten 
millions,  probably  less.  The  Anamese  differ 
from  those  of  the  south,  the  race  being  formed 
by  a union  of  the  hill-aborigines  with  the  sea- 
board people.  The  climate  is  not  considered 
favorable  for  Europeans.  There  are  no  Prot- 
estant missions  in  Anam. 

This  survey  of  the  jtrincipal  basins  of  Indo- 
China  will  enable  the  reader  to  apjtreciate  how 
largely  the  agricultural  wealth  and  commercial 
importance  of  all  these  countries  dejiend  on  its 
rivers.  It  is  scarcely  exaggeration  to  state  that 
a few  inches  of  water  often  determine  whether  the 
receding  flood  at  the  annual  inundation  will  leave 
a bright,  grain-laden  plain  or  a sterile  waste  of 
ruined  crops.  It  should  also  be  remembered 
that  while  periodical  floods  are  common  to  all 
the  deltas,  each  valley  has  its  own  period,  in- 
dicating that  the  table-lands  in  which  the  rivers 
have  their  sources  are  at  unequal  distances. 
Moreover,  travel  throughout  the  peninsula  be- 
ing so  largely  aquatic,  not  only  north  and  south 
along  the  main  trunks,  but  across  the  same  val- 
ley by  means  of  intersecting  canals,  tide  ])lays  an 
important  part  in  these  waterway  trips,  and  many 
smaller  streams  being  filled  and  emptied  daily,  a 
careful  study  of  tidal  influences  will  avoid  delay, 


CLIMATE,  PLANTS  AND  ANIMALS. 


67 


as  at  times  the  water,  suddenly  receding,  leaves 
a boat  stranded  on  the  banks  of  some  creek  for 
hours,  with  no  water  even  for  cooking  or  drink- 
ing purposes. 

V.  CLIMATE,  PLANTS  AND  ANIMALS. 

Far  India,  as  this  south-eastern  corner  of  Asia 
is  somethues  called,  has  a tropical  climate.  At 
seasons  the  heat  is  intense,  but  in  many  portions 
the  warm  air  is  genial  and  not  unhealthy,  though 
Europeans  need  from  time  to  time  a change  to  a 
more  bracing  region.  The  seasons  are  two — the 
wet  and  the  dry : the  former  embraces  our  spring 
and  summer  months,  and  ranges  from  IMay  to 
October ; the  latter,  the  remainder  of  the  year. 
INIarch  and  April  are  the  hottest  months ; No- 
vember, December  and  January,  the  coolest. 
The  winter  is  mild  and  summer-like — doors  and 
windows  all  open  and  no  fire.  Houses  are 
built  without  window-glass,  and  the  shutters 
are  seldom  closed  except  at  night  or  to  keep 
out  the  sun.  Here,  too,  is  the  verdure  of  per- 
petual summer — lands  where  the  foliage  is  always 
green,  where  roses  bloom  from  the  first  to  the  last 
day  of  the  year,  and  the  orchards  are  always 
laden  with  their  luscious  store — lands  of  Italian 
sunsets,  picturesque  mountains,  loveliest  valleys, 
and  long  stretches  of  comparatively  still  waters, 
said  to  resemble  the  Swiss  mountain-lakes,  clear 
as  crystal,  reflecting  the  sky  and  great  mountain- 


68 


6'ALl/  .IxVi)  LAOS. 


shadows,  and  filled  with  fish ; the  grandest  caves, 
the  richest  mines  of  precious-^uetals  and  valuable 
gems.  Rice,  the  principal  article  of  food  among 
the  natives,  grows  almost  spontaneously,  and  is 
used  on  the  table  at  an  expense  of  three  cents  a 
pound,  while  bananas  are  sold  for  two  cents  a 
dozen  and  oranges  for  half  a cent  each. 

It  does  not  cost  much  to  build  a little  bamboo 
house  after  the  native  fashion.  For  example. 
Miss  Cort  paid  for  one  of  her  schoolhouses  at 
Petchaburee,  fourteen  by  twenty- two  feet,  only 
$0.38  for  the  materials,  including  a lock  and 
key ; $5.44  for  the  wages  of  the  men  and 
women  who  built  it — making  the  entire  cost 
$11.82.  But  then  we  should  think  it  a very 
queer  schoolhouse,  with  its  basket-like  walls  of 
woven  bamboo,  its  roof  of  leaves  sewed  together, 
its  three  little  windows  without  any  glass,  and 
two  doors;  nor  would  its  strangeness  be  less 
striking  if  we  saw  the  native  teacher  and  chil- 
dren all  sitting  on  the  floor.  But  things  move 
slowly  in  these  warm  Eastern  countries.  If  you 
want  to  build  a more  substantial  house,  you  must 
begin  by  buying  earth  to  make  the  bricks,  and 
oftentimes  rough  logs  to  be  worked  up  into 
boards ; and,  though  labor  is  cheap,  a day’s  work 
in  Indo-China  will  not  mean  anything  like  as 
much  accomplished  as  in  the  same  space  of  time 
in  America. 

In  the  useful  arts  the  inhabitants  of  this 


CLIMATE,  PLANTS  AND  ANIMALS. 


69 


peninsula  are  far  behind  Chinese  and  Hindoos, 
though  there  are  said  to  be  ingenious  workers  in 
copper  and  iron,  and  in  the  manufacture  of  gold 
and  silver  vessels  they  display  considerable  skill. 

Agriculture  is  the  main  employment  of  the 
natives.  In  many  parts  of  this  peninsula  the 
land  is  prepared  by  turning  in  the  buffaloes 
during  the  rainy  season  to  trample  down  weeds 
and  stir  the  soil,  which  is  afterward  harrowed 
by  a coarse  rake  or  thorny  shrub,  the  stubble 
being  burnt  and  the  ash  worked  in  as  manure. 

But  the  Chinese  are  everywhere  introducing 
improved  methods.  The  best  quality  of  rice 
is  transplanted,  the  plants  lying  partially  cov- 
ered in  the  still  pools  of  water  between  the 
rectangular  ridges  marked  off  for  the  juirpose 
of  irrigation ; and  rice  growing  above  the  ris- 
ing water  looks  very  like  a field  of  wheat  or 
tall  grass.  At  high-flood  seasons  it  is  a pretty 
sight  to  see  the  planters  moving  about  in  boats 
attending  to  their  crops.  The  growth  is  almost 
spontaneous.  Little  care  is  needed  until  the 
whole  family  must  turn  out  to  drive  off  the 
immense  flocks  of  little  rice-birds.  The  rice  is 
sown  in  June,  transplanted  in  September  and 
harvested  late  in  December  or  in  January.  In 
the  fields  at  this  season  may  be  seen  the  reapers, 
multitudes  of  sheaves  and  stacks  of  grain.  The 
rice  is  generally  threshed  by  buffaloes,  a hard 
circle  being  formed  around  each  stack.  The 


70 


ST.Ur  AND  LAOS. 


carts  have  large  wheels,  four  or  five  feet  apart, 
with  the  sheaves  placed  in  a small  rack.  The 
driver  guides  the  oxen  by  means  of  ropes  fast- 
ened in  the  septum  of  their  noses,  reminding  one 
of  the  Scripture,  “ I will  put  my  hook  in  his  nose.” 
Sugar  is  produced  almost  everywhere,  in  Siam 
especially,  under  the  Chinese  settlers,  its  quality 
yielding  to  that  of  no  other  sugar  in  the  world, 
so  that  it  is  fast  becoming  one  of  the  most  im- 
portant Siamese  exports.  Almost  all  the  spices 
used  throughout  the  world  find  their  early  home 
in  the  peninsula  or  the  neighboring  islands — the 
laurel-leaf  clove ; the  nutmeg,  like  a pear  tree  in 
size,  its  nut  wrapped  in  crimson  mace  and  encased 
in  a shell ; the  cardamom,  a plant  valuable  for  its 
seeds  and  the  principal  ingredient  in  curries  and 
compound  spices.  A pepper-plantation  is  a curi- 
ous sight,  the  berries  growing,  not  in  pods,  but 
hanging  down  in  bunches  like  currants  from  a 
climber  trained  much  like  a hop-vine,  yielding 
two  annual  and  very  profitable  crops.  Tea  is  cul- 
tivated in  the  Laos  provinces,  and  coffee  and  cot- 
ton are  also  raised.  Tobacco  is  largely  grown,  and 
its  use  is  almost  universal;  even  babies  in  their 
mothers’  arms  are  often  seen  puffing  a cigar.  A 
fine  aromatic  powder,  made  from  the  deep  golden 
root  of  the  curcuma,  is  sold  by  the  boatload  in 
Bangkok;  Siamese  mothers  may  be  seen  in  the 
morning  yellowing  their  children  with  it  for 
beautv.  It  is  also  used  to  sjive  color  to  cur- 


CLIMATE,  PLANTS  AND  ANIMALS. 


71 


ries,  and  mixed  with  quicklime  makes  the 
bright  pink  paste  wrapped  in  seri-leaf  around 
the  hetel-nut  for  chewing  purposes. 

Vegetable-gardens  and  fruit-orchards  surround 
most  of  the  villages.  The  neat  Chinese  gardens 
near  Bangkok  are  worth  a visit.  The  land  is 
made  sufficiently  dry  by  throwing  it  up  in  large 
beds  ten  to  twelve  feet  high,  extending  the  whole 
length  of  the  grounds.  The  deep  ditches  between 
have  a supply  of  water  even  in  the  dry  season, 
and  a simple  instrument  is  used  to  sprinkle  the 
plants  with  it  several  times  a day.  The  gardener 
lives  within  the  premises,  his  small  dirty  hut 
guarded  by  a multitude  of  dogs  and  a horrible 
stench  of  i^igsty.  The  artificial  ridges  of  the 
paddy-fields  beyond,  three  feet  high,  make  quite 
comfortable  footpaths  in  the  dry  season. 

The  Indo-Chinese  fruits  are  of  great  excellence 
of  flavor,  and  almost  every  day  of  the  year  fur- 
nishes a new  variety.  The  best  oranges  are  plen- 
tiful ; pineapples  are  a drug  in  the  market ; 
lemons,  citrons,  pomegranates  are  abundant  and 
very  cheap.  As  the  season  advances,  mangoes, 
guavas,  custard-apples  and  the  like  follow  in 
quick  succession;  on  some  kinds  of  trees  buds, 
flowers,  green  and  ripened  fruit  may  be  found  at 
the  same  time.  The  small  mahogany-colored 
mangosteen  is  perhaps  the  most  poj)ular  of  trop- 
ical fruits.  One  sj^ecies  of  the  sac  has  a fruit 
weighing  from  ten  to  forty  pounds,  which  cut  in 


72 


STAM  AND  LAOS. 


thick  slices  will  supply  a meal  to  twenty  persons, 
and  a single  tree  will  produce  a hundred  such 
fruit ; the  bright  yellow  wood  of  this  tree  is  used 
for  dyeing  the  priests’  robes.  The  tamarind 
grows  to  an  enormous  height  and  lives  for  cen- 


THE  BREAD-FKUIT. 


turies ; under  its  shade  the  Siamese  assemble  for 
most  of  their  social  games.  The  durian,  a child 
of  the  forest,  has  something  the  appearance  of  an 
elm  ; the  large  fruit,  cased  in  a thick  hard  rind 
as  difficult  to  break  as  a cocoanut-shell  and  cov- 
ered with  strong  spines,  gives  a dangerous  blow 
in  falling.  The  live  shells  within  each  contain 
several  seeds  rather  larger  than  a pigeon’s  egg 
Idled  with  custard-like  pulp  of  a strong  odor  and 
unique  flavor.  The  plantain  or  banana  has  some 
forty  varieties,  with  fruit  varying  greatly  in  size 
as  well  as  in  flavor.  It  is  the  first  fruit  given  to 


TREES  AND  FLOWERS. 


73 


babies,  and,  the  Moslems  say,  was  the  gift  of  Al- 
lah to  the  Prophet  in  his  old  age  when  he  lost  his 
teeth.  The  trees  bear  fruit  but  once,  and  then  are 
followed  by  others  from  the  same  root.  The  use- 
ful bamboo  is  a tree-like  plant  with  a jointed 
stem,  producing  branches  Avitli  willow-shaped 
leaves,  which  wave  in  the  wind,  giving  an 
elegant  feathery  appearance.  So  rapid  is  its 
growth,  sometimes  two  feet  in  a single  day, 
that  the  plant  attains  its  height  of  sixty  to 
seventy  feet  in  a few  months.  It  is  said  to 
have  seven  admirable  qualities — strength,  light- 
ness, roundness,  straightness,  smoothness,  hollow- 
ness and  divisibility.  The  short  succulent  shoots 
are  served  on  the  table  like  asparagus,  pickled  or 
candied.  According  to  the  Chinese  proverb,  the 
grains  are  “ more  abundant  when  rice  fails.” 
The  stems  furnish  bottles,  buckets,  baskets,  fish- 
ing-rods, posts,  bridges,  walls,  floors,  roofs,  and 
even  the  string  that  lashes  together  rafter  and 
beam  of  the  common  native  house  in  Indo-China. 

Under  the  stimulating  sunshine  of  the  tropics 
a profusion  of  rare  shrubs  and  some  of  the  most 
beautiful  flowers  reward  slight  labor  with  a rapid- 
ity of  growth  and  bloom  unknown  in  colder  re- 
gions. Poses  of  one  sort  or  another  are  peren- 
nial. Bright  geraniums,  brilliant  lilies  and  num- 
berless plants  indigenous  to  the  country  are  in 
great  demand  and  cultivated  extensively  for 
domestic  or  religious  uses.  There  are  seven 


74 


SIAM  AXD  LAOS. 


varieties  of  the  lotus,  the  favorite  sacred  flower 
of  all  Buddhist  countries.  The  red  pond-lotus 
is  most  common ; the  blue,  green,  light  and  dark- 
yellow  flowers  are  rarer.  The  smallest  variety 


TIIK  LOTUS. 


has  a white  flower  scarcely  larger  than  a daisy, 
and  is  found  in  the  rivers,  principally  at  the 
.season  of  inundation.  The  I’ose-colored  lotus, 
Avhose  golden  stamens  breathe  a delicious  fra- 


TREES  AND  FLOWERS. 


75 


grance,  is  the  ornament  of  all  festivities,  and  is 
sent  as  an  offering  to  royalty,  the  priests  and 
Buddha  himself.  The  mali,  a fragrant  white 
flower  about  the  size  of  a pink,  is  much  culti- 
vated in  the  neighborhood  of  Bangkok.  It 
grows  on  a shrub  about  three  feet  high.  The 
Avreaths  worn  around  the  topknots  of  children 
are  braided  from  this  floAver,  which  is  also  used 
for  necklaces,  bracelets  and  to  perfume  Avater. 
Bare  and  beautiful  orchids  are  also  here  in  large 
numbers,  and  many  of  the  varicolor-leaved  plants 
find  this  their  natiAm  home. 

Throughout  the  Indo-Chinese  peninsula  are 
great  belts  of  trackless  forests  of  teak  and  other 
A^aluable  Avoods,  tro})ical  trees  yielding  rich  gums 
and  aromatic  odors — the  tall,  exquisitely  graceful 
wood-oil  tree ; the  india-rubber,  gutta-percha — 
first  discovered  in  Malayland — and  other  A^arie- 
ties  of  the  Ficus ; the  cajaput,  the  upas,  the 
gamboge.  There  are  thousands  of  miles  of  these 
jungles  never  yet  subdued  by  man,  through 
Avhose  green  tAvilight  the  traveler  can  only  force 
his  Avay  axe  in  hand.  Here  are  majestic  trees, 
it  may  be  a hundred  and  fifty  feet  high  and  of 
great  girth,  draped  Avith  a Avhole  Avorld  of  dan- 
gling vines  and  parasite  trailers,  spreading  every- 
Avhere  a canopy  of  leaf  and  gorgeous  blossoms ; 
the  liana  hanging  its  scarlet  and  orange  clusters 
a hundred  feet  OA^erhead  across  some  stream ; 
tough  ratan  cables  a thousand  feet  long,  knot- 


76 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


ting  together  a whole  grove;  avenues  of  inter- 
secting branches,  like  the  aisles  of  a Gothic 
cathedral,  covered  with  yellow  flowers  of  a most 
delicious  fragrance ; the  white  and  purple  of  the 
pemea,  combining  the  beauties  of  the  rhododen- 
dron and  horse-chestnut ; the  blue-blossoming 
Thunbergia ; the  Burmese  Amherstia,  like  a 
giant  fuchsia  on  the  scale  of  an  oak.  Then 
there  is  the  graceful  palm  tribe — the  palmyra; 
the  date ; the  lofty  areca  with  its  sweet-scented 
buds  and  great  clusters  of  nuts ; the  tufted- 
crowned,  sea-loving  cocoanut,  whose  fruit  sup- 
plies food,  di’ink  and  oil,  its  fibrous  casing  ropes, 
vessels  and  mats,  and  its  plaited  leaves  dishes 
and  the  thatch  of  the  native’s  cottage,  the  large 
stalks  fences,  and  whose  slender  bole  is  adapted 
for  innumerable  uses  from  a post  to  a canoe. 
Underneath  all  this  Oidental  shade  a lovely 
confusion  of  fungi,  mosses,  and  every  variety 
of  ferns,  from  delicate  maiden-hair  to  the  tall 
fronds  fifteen  and  twenty  feet  high. 

Birds  of  brilliant  plumage  and  beautiful 
form  inhabit  these  Oriental  forests — long- 
legged  swamp-fowls,  tall  as  a man  and  swift 
as  a greyhound ; paroquets  with  green  bodies 
and  scarlet  beaks  fly  screaming  from  tree  to 
tree;  the  snowy  pelican,  the  white  ibis,  the 
argus,  the  blue-jay,  the  black  and  white  robin ; 
birds  of  paradise  and  humming-birds.  The  sea- 
swallow  builds  her  nest  in  the  hollows  and  caves 


13IRD  OF  PAKAIJISF. 


I 

i 

I 


78 


SIAM  AMD  LAOS. 


of  the  rocky  coast,  and  doves  and  pigeons  are  in 
endless  variety.  Winged  things  of  myriad  kinds 
troop,  great  and  small — immense  butterflies,  jew- 
el-like beetles,  brilliant  dragon-flies,  thousands  of 
moths — while  at  dusk  swarms  of  fire-flies  illu- 
mine the  glades,  and  the  night  is  noisy  with  the 
flitting  and  buzzing  of  the  insect  world. 

Animals  fierce  and  large  as  those  of  Africa  in- 
fest these  jungles  ; their  footprints  are  all  along 
the  paths — wild  elephants  and  boars,  the  tapir, 
the  royal  tiger,  the  one-horned  rhinoceros,  the 
buffalo,  herds  of  deer,  wild  hogs  and  squirrels, 
afford  a sportsman  plenty  of  use  for  his  gun; 
uncanny  flying-foxes,  and  chattering  monkeys 
linked,  chain-fashion,  hand  to  tail,  or  [)elting 
each  other  with  fruit  and  nuts.  Innumerable 
water-snakes  glide  among  the  reeds ; the  cobra 
or  hooded  serpent  is  abundant ; surly  alligators, 
with  their  ugly  red  mouths  wide  open,  and  huge 
saurians  bask  in  sunny  spots  or  float  like  logs 
upon  the  surface  of  the  water ; leeches  abound 
in  the  swampy  lowlands ; frogs  and  turtles  and 
tortoises,  larger  than  any  ever  seen  in  temperate 
regions,  throng  the  marshes  and  streams. 

Indo-China  also  offers  a first  field  of  inquiry 
to  the  geologist.  The  peninsula  is  very  rich  in 
minerals ; gold  is  said  to  be  most  productive  at 
the  foot  of  the  “Three  Hundred  Peaks;”  copper 
and  tin  are  found  in  large  quantities;  silver  in 
connection  with  copper  and  lead ; and  there  are 


MuNKKVS  PLAY1N(4  WITH  A (TtOCODlLE. 


80 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


unquestionably  large  unworked  deposits  of  coal 
and  petroleum.  Precious  stones,  brilliant  dia- 
monds, deep-blue  sapphires,  rubies  of  finest  color, 
emeralds,  topazes,  rock-crystals  and  other  gems 
used  to  ornament  the  crowns  of  kings  and  em- 
perors are  a part  of  the  natural  wealth. 

Such,  then,  are  the  general  characteristics  and 
geographical  outlines  of  the  Indo-Chinese  penin- 
sula. 


CHAPTER  II. 

SIGHT-SEEING  IN  BANGKOK. 

rilO  give  you  some  idea  of  Bangkok,  the  capital 
L city  of  Siam,  I will  imagine  myself  once 
more  a resident  there,  with  you  for  a visitor, 
and  will  invite  you  this  fine  morning  to  take  a 
seat  in  our  family  boat,  which  is  at  the  landing, 
and  we  will  go  out  upon  the  river. 

It  is  a strange  city,  unlike  any  in  the  Western 
World,  and  if  we  cannot  “ see  the  lions,”  we  may 
perhaps  “see  the  elephants”  and  many  novel 
and  interesting  things.  You  have  already  be- 
come somewhat  familiar  with  the  copper-colored 
complexion,  the  black  eyes,  black  hair  and  black 
teeth,  the  scanty  clothing  and  shaven  heads  of 
the  people. 

We  will  confine  our  excursion  to-day  to  the 
Men  am  River,  the  Broadway  of  Bangkok, 
while  the  hundreds  of  canals  that  intersect  it 
at  every  angle  may  be  considered  the  less- 
important  streets.  You  find  the  river  a busy 
scene,  but  need  have  no  fears  of  a collision 
with  any  of  the  innumerable  boats  of  every 
6 81 


82 


87.1.1/  ^l.VX»  LAOS. 


size  and  description  that  pass,  for  the  Siamese 
are  very  skillful  boatmen. 

Your  attention  is  already  attracted  by  the 
beautiful  wat,  or  temple,  with  its  surroundings, 
on  our  right.  Is  it  not  a beautiful  spot,  so  pret- 
tily laid  out  with  fine  shade  trees,  flowering 
jilants  and  well-swept  walks?  There  are  about 
two  hundred  wats  in  Bangkok  consecrated  to  the 
worship  of  Buddha.  Some  of  them  have  groves 
several  acres  in  extent,  containing  pagodas, 
image-houses,  priests’  dwellings  and  salas,  or 
lounging-places.  They  occupy  the  pleasantest 
parts  of  the  city,  and  the  deluded  people  spend 
vast  sums  on  these  temples  and  their  idols,  ex- 
pecting in  this  way  to  make  merit  for  themselves. 
You  will  not  wonder  that  they  are  anxious  to 
make  all  the  merit  they  can  when  their  religion 
teaches  them  that  at  death  their  soul  enters  the 
body  of  some  animal — a bird,  it  may  be,  or  a 
snake,  an  elejjhant  or  a buffalo — unless  they 
have  made  enough  merit  to  be  born  something 
better  and  higher. 

Observe  the  exterior  of  this  temple.  What  a, 
gay  appearance  the  neat-colored  tiles  give  the 
roof!  The  front,  how  laboriously  carved  and 
how  richly  gilded  1 The  doors  and  windows 
too  are  more  or  less  carved  and  gilded.  Now  Ave 
will  go  inside.  The  scenes  with  which  these  in- 
ner walls  are  so  gayly  painted  are  chiefly  from  the 
life  of  Buddha,  and  see,  in  the  farther  end,  on 


RANOKOK  ON  THE  ^IFNAM. 


84 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


an  ornamental  throne,  is  an  immense  gilt  image 
of  this  deity  in  a sitting  posture.  This  is  made 
of  brick  and  mortar,  but  idols  are  sometimes 
of  gold,  silver,  brass,  ivory,  wood  and  stone. 
All  have  the  same  self-complacent,  sleepy  look. 
Look ! a worshiper  has  followed  us  in.  Watch 
his  movements.  See  him  prostrate  himself  be- 
fore the  idol,  touching  his  forehead  three  times 


to  the  floor,  and  now  he  lays  his  simple  offer- 
ing of  flowers  upon  the  altar.  Mark  the 
complacency  of  his  countenance  as  he  leaves, 
no  doubt  feeling  that  he  has  added  not  a little 
to  his  stock  of  merit. 

But  we  must  return  to  our  boat  and  move  on 
up  the  river,  for  I hope  to  have  time  to  visit  the 
royal  temple  and  perhajis  some  others. 


SIGHT-SEEING  IN  BANGKOK. 


85 


Ah ! there  are  some  j^riests.  I feared  we 
should  not  meet  any  of  these  yellow-robed 
gentry.  How  strange  they  look  with  shaven 
heads  and  eyebrows ! Such  as  these  are  the 
religious  teachers  of  the  country.  A few  years 
ago  there  were  ten  thousand  in  Bangkok  alone 
and  some  thirty  thousand  in  the  kingdom — a 
perfect  army  (with  few  exceptions)  of  self-con- 
ceited idlers ; but  I am  happy  to  tell  you  that 
their  number  has  now  greatly  diminished.  They 
live  on  the  charity  of  the  people,  going  about 
every  morning  from  house  to  house  among  their 
parishioners,  with  their  alms-bowl,  and  with  a 
fruit-bag  slung  over  one  shoulder.  The  old 
mother  or  grandmother  is  up  at  an  early  hour 
to  have  rice  cooked  and  ready  for  them.  She 
puts  a ladleful  of  hot  rice  into  the  bowl  of  each 
as  he  passes,  and  a handful  of  fruit  into  his 
fruit-bag.  Do  they  thank  her?  By  no  means. 
She  ought  rather  to  thank  them,  for  they  have 
given  her  an  opportunity  to  make  merit.  They 
collect  sufficient  for  their  morning  and  noonday 
meal.  Their  religion  forbids  them  to  take  food 
after  midday. 

Notice  the  boats.  Some,  used  for  trading,  are 
loaded  with  rice,  sugar,  salt,  cotton,  oil,  dried 
fish,  or  dye-woods,  as  the  case  may  be.  Some 
are  at  once  boat,  shop  and  dwelling.  In  the 
distance  is  a nobleman’s  boat,  propelled  by  a 
dozen  or  two  paddlers.  What  an  odd  little 


86 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


house  ill  the  centre ! Do  you  see  how  much  at 
his  ease  His  Lordship  is  reclining,  with  two  or 
tliree  attendants  down  on  their  elbows  and  knees 
before  him  ? Look  yonder  at  that  small  boat 
paddled  by  a little  child  five  or  six  years  old. 
How  unconcerned  the  little  fellow  seems  as  he 
moves  about  entirely  alone,  his  boat  hardly 
larger  than  himself,  the  edge  scarcely  two 
inches  above  the  Avater ! Men,  women  and 
children  in  this  country  can  swim ; should  this 
child  upset  he  would  look  out  for  himself  and 
think  very  little  of  the  matter. 

INIany  smaller  craft  are  market-boats,  with 
fruits  and  vegetables  for  sale.  Notice  some  of 
the  fruits  as  they  pass.  That  one  nearly  as  large 
as  a child’s  head  and  resembling  a huge  orange  is 
the  shaddock  or  pomelow.  This  large  one,  Avhich 
smells  so  very  disagreeably,  and  which  is  so 
comjiletely  encased  in  spines  as  if  to  say,  “Touch 
me  not !”  is  the  far-famed  durian,  which  the 
natives  consider  the  king  of  fruits.  It  weighs 
from  five  to  ten  pounds.  This  small  round 
mahogany-colored  fruit  is  the  delicious  man- 
gosteen — that  golden  one,  the  luscious  mango. 
Then  there  are  the  rich  custard-a])ple,  the  re- 
freshing orange,  the  blushing  rhambutan,  the 
pineapple,  the  banana,  etc. 

You  see  the  flags  of  many  different  nations 
flying  from  the  ships,  of  which  none  are  more 
beautiful  than  the  “star-spangled  banner”  of 


SIGHTSEEING  IN  BANGKOK. 


87 


our  native  land.  There  are  also  scores  of  steam- 
yachts  on  the  rivers  of  Siam  now,  owned  by  the 
natives,  but  when  I first  came  here  there  was  not 
one  to  be  seen.  You  ask  what  these  strange- 
looking  craft,  moored  by  immense  ratan  cables, 
are  ? They  are  Chinese  junks,  and  it  would  be 
hard  to  tell  where  the  Chinese  obtained  their 
model.  The  wonder  is  that  such  clumsy,  un- 
shapely, unsightly  things  can  be  made  to  traverse 
the  sea.  And  the  glowing  colors  in  which  they 
are  painted,  red  always  predominating!  And 
don’t  overlook  the  large  eye  painted  on  each 
bow.  The  Chinese  say,  “ No  got  eye,  how  can 
see  ?” 

But  you  must  not  get  so  much  interested  in 
the  boats  and  the  fruits  as  not  to  notice  the 
homes  of  this  people.  Many  of  the  princes 
and  nobles  now  have  fine  houses  handsomely 
furnished.  The  missionaries,  foreign  consuls, 
merchants  and  wealthy  Chinese  have  good,  sub- 
stantial dwellings.  The  homes  of  the  common 
people,  you  see,  are  small,  of  one  story,  and 
thatched  with  the  leaves  of  the  attap  palm. 
Most  of  them  are  neither  painted  nor  white- 
washed. Those  upon  the  land  are  placed  on 
posts  six  feet  high,  and  the  sides  of  many  of 
them  are  made  of  bamboos  split  and  woven 
together,  forming  a kind  of  basket-work. 

But  thousands  of  the  people  live  in  floating 
houses,  which  you  have  observed  lining  both 


88 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


banks  of  the  river.  Notice  them  particularly 
now,  for  they  are  one  of  the  peculiarities  of 
this  Eastern  city.  They  are  but  one  story  high, 
you  see,  and  built  of  boards  and  placed  on  rafts 
of  large  bamboos,  which  rise  and  fall  with  the 
tide,  and  hence  are  called  floating  houses.  These 
rafts  must  be  renewed  every  two  or  three  years. 
The  houses  are  kept  in  their  place  by  large  posts 
on  each  side  driven  deep  into  the  muddy  bed  of 
the  river.  They  do  sometimes,  however,  get  de- 
tached from  their  moorings,  though  fastened  to 
them  by  rings  of  ratan,  and  float  up  or  down 
the  river  with  the  tide.  These  houses  have  some 
advantages  over  all  others,  for  if  neighbors  are 
disagreeable  or  a Are  breaks  out  the  occupants 
have  only  to  move  off  with  the  tide,  house,  fur- 
niture and  all,  to  some  other  spot. 

You  will  observe  that  many  of  them  are  open 
in  front  with  a veranda,  and  are  shops.  This 
one  seems  to  have  a variety,  and  we  will  stop  a 
few  moments.  You  perceive  there  are  no  show- 
cases, but  the  smaller  and  more  fanciful  articles 
are  displayed  on  these  shelves,  arranged  one 
above  another,  like  a floAver-stand,  to  the  height 
of  some  three  feet.  Are  you  waiting  for  the 
shopkeeper  ? The  personage  seated  on  the  floor 
by  the  side  of  his  goods  is  none  other  than  he. 
He  seems  quite  indifferent  about  selling,  but  look 
about  and  see  Avhat  of  all  this  mixed  medley  you 
will  purchase.  There,  in  the  way  of  dry  goods. 


FIX)AT1NG  STORKS  AT  BANGKOK. 


90 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


are  bleached  and  unbleached  and  turkey-red  mus- 
lins, Siamese  waist-cloths  and  some  fading  cali- 
coes. Here  are  a few  boxes  of  tea,  some  native 
umbrellas,  a bunch  of  peacock-feathers,  tigers’ 
skins  and  tigers’  bones,  piles  of  coarse  crockery, 
])ieces  of  matting,  etc.  There  are  also  pretty 
little  brown  teapots  and  tiny  cups,  all  of  which  at 
home  would  be  considered  toys  for  children,  but, 
I assure  you,  they  are  as  large  as  any  used  by 
the  tea-drinkers  of  this  country.  There  is  a set 
now  on  a little  tray  behind  you  that  are  in  daily 
use.  Ah ! you  want  to  purchase  a set  with  the 
tray,  do  you  ? Well,  you  have  made  a very 
good  selection,  but  the  shoj)man  may  not  fancy 
your  flat  silver  coins,  though  they  are  fast  being 
introduced.  Make  your  selection  and  I will  pay 
your  bills.  I have  yet  to  show  you  the  money 
of  the  country.  See ! a stamped  silver  bullet, 
with  a small  notch  cut  out  of  one  side.  What 
does  it  remind  you  of?  I do  not  wonder  you 
smile.  This  largest  piece  is  a tical,  and  is  worth 
sixty  cents ; this  next  size  is  a sailing,  or  fifteen 
cents ; this  smallest  a fuang,  or  seven  and  a half 
cents.  If  I had  come  shopping  with  you  a few 
years  ago,  and  you  had  wanted  any  smaller 
change,  I should  have  used  cowrie-shells,  of 
which  it  took  one  thousand  to  equal  a dime. 
The  shopman  is  paid,  and  now  with  the  Siam- 
ese good-bye,  Chah!  lah!  pi  kaun,  we  must 
move  on.  Do  not  think  these  are  the  only 


SIGHTSEEING  IN  BANGKOK. 


91 


shopping-places  in  the  city,  for  besides  several 
fine  foreign  stores  we  might,  if  we  had  time,  go 
up  into  the  Chinese  bazaar,  which  is  about  a 
mile  long.  We  should  find  there  tailors,  black- 
smiths, druggists,  goldsmiths,  idol-makers,  dyers, 
etc. 

We  are  just  passing  a floating-house  restau- 
rant. We  will  move  slowly  and  see  what  they 
have — pork  steaks,  ducks,  fowls,  hot  rice  and 
curry,  dried  fish  and  vegetables.  Shall  we  call  ? 
No?  Well,  then,  we  will  take  our  own  lunch 
that  we  have  brought  with  us,  and,  refreshed  by 
it,  be  ready  to  visit  a royal  temple  which  we 
shall  soon  reach. 

Notice  this  large  canal  on  our  right,  for  it  ex- 
tends entirely  around  the  city  proper,  following 
the  line  of  the  city-wall,  which  is  five  miles  in 
circumference,  till  it  meets  the  river  again. 

Do  you  notice  that  smoke  rising  in  yonder 
temple-ground  ? It  is  from  a funeral  pile,  for  in 
this  country  the  dead  are  burned,  unless  they 
committed  suicide,  were  struck  by  lightning  or 
died  of  cholera  or  some  other  disease  causing 
sudden  death,  in  which  case  they  are  consid- 
ered as  deficient  in  merit  and  undeserving  of 
burning.  You  will  be  surprised  when  I tell 
you  that  two  armsful  of  wood  arQ  sufficient  to 
reduce  a body  to  ashes. 

Look  at  that  lofty  tower  on  the  left,  rising  full 
two  hundred  feet,  with  such  exquisite  propor- 


92 


SIAM  AND  LAOS 


tions.  It  is  considered  the  finest  pagoda  in 
Bangkok,  but  I think  the  four  tall,  gracefully- 
tapered  spires  in  the  wat-ground  directly  oppo- 
site are  not  much  behind  in  beauty.  Under  the 
long,  tiled  roof  near  them  reclines  an  image  of 
Buddha  which  is  perhaps  the  largest  idol  in  the 
world.  There  is  a huge  one  on  this  side  that 
towers  iq)  seventy  feet  as  it  sits  cross-legged,  but 
we  will  cross  over  and  visit  the  larger  one,  the 
“ Sleeping  Idol.”  Let  us  land  and  look  about 
a while  before  we  enter  the  principal  temple. 
You  see  there  are  other  temple-buildings  and 
small  pagodas,  besides  the  usual  houses  for  the 
hundreds  of  priests.  In  one  of  these  temples  are 
to  be  seen  four  hundred  images  of  Buddha,  life- 
size  and  each  seated  on  a gilded  throne.  Now 
we  will  go  in  and  see  the  immense  image.  The 
tenqile  itself  is  two  hundred  feet  long,  and  the 
idol  at  least  one  hundred  and  sixty  feet  long. 
You  see  it  lies  on  its  side,  as  if  asleep.  It  is 
made  of  brick  and  heavily  gilded.  I suppose 
the  gold-leaf  is  of  many  thicknesses  in  some 
places,  for  worshipers  generally  stick  on  a fresh 
piece.  As  we  have  our  yard-measure,  let  us  see 
how  long  the  feet  are.  Five  yards  and  more ! 
and  each  toe  is  one  yard  long ! Buddha’s  toes 
and  fingers  ai;e  supposed  to  have  been  all  of  one 
length,  and  look  at  the  soles  of  the  great  feet,  so 
beautifully  inlaid  with  figures  in  mother-of-pearl ! 

But  come,  we  must  not  linger  longer  here. 


SIGHT-SEEING  IN  BANGKOK. 


93 


The  palace  of  His  Majesty  is  near,  and  we  must 
get  a glimpse  of  this,  though  I fear  its  exterior 
will  not  be  as  imposing  as  you  thought.  The 
palace-grounds  are  enclosed  by  a wall  about  a 
mile  in  circumference.  Here  are  the  audience- 
halls,  the  mint,  arsenal,  halls  of  justice,  museum, 
royal  chapel,  and  separated  from  them  by  an 
inner  wall  is  the  royal  harem,  which  is  in  itself 
a compact  little  town,  with  several  streets,  a ba- 
zaar, a temple,  pleasure-gardens  and  the  homes 
of  the  numerous  wives,  sisters  and  other  relatives 
of  the  king. 

This  gate  in  the  city-wall  will  give  us  access 
to  the  stables  of  the  elephants.  Were  it  early  in 
the  morning  we  should  see  them  coming  down  to 
the  river  to  bathe  and  drink. 

Our  walk  takes  us  through  a market,  but  you 
must  not  look  for  neatness  or  order,  only  a con- 
fused display  of  vegetables  and  fruits,  betel-nuts, 
cigars,  odd-looking  cakes,  eggs,  salted  and  fresh 
fish,  dried  meats.  But  why  this  commotion? 
Ah ! the  reason  is  plain,  for  there,  with  his 
train  of  attendants,  comes  a prince  borne  rap- 
idly along  in  an  open  palanquin  on  the  shoulders 
of  men,  and  the  traders  and  customers  must 
make  way  for  him.  Ten  years  ago  all,  as  if 
impelled  by  one  impulse,  would  have  respect- 
fully dropped  down  on  elbows  and  knees,  but 
the  present  young  king  has  done  away  with  this 
servile  custom.  Ten  years  ago  hat  or  cap,  stock- 


94 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


ings  or  shoes,  would  not  have  been  needed  to 
denote  his  greatness,  the  number  of  his  retinue 
showing  that.  Notice  his  attendants.  One  car- 
ries an  immense  state  umbrella  over  the  head  of 
His  Lordshij) ; then  there  is  the  sword-bearer 
and  the  pipe-bearer ; one  carries  his  gold  betel- 
box  and  tray,  another  his  spittoon ; one  has  his 
lighted  match-rope,  another  his  fan,  and  another 
his  golden  vessel  of  drinking-water.  Now  the 
prince  has  jjassed,  and  we  may  go  on  our  way  to 
the  elephant-stables,  which  are  very  neat.  Let 
us  venture  in.  Yon  need  not  fear  that  they  are 
not  securely  fastened  by  those  large  ropes  to  the 
posts.  How  incessantly  they  sway  their  great 
trunks,  as  if  weary  of  confinement!  The  burn- 
ished metal  rings  which  encircle  the  white  tusks 
of  the  larger  ones  look  like  gold,  but  their  small 
peculiar  eyes  forbid  close  examination.  These 
bundles  of  fresh  grass  by  the  door  are  cut  by 
state  criminals,  whose  lifelong  business  it  is  each 
morning  to  furnish  sufficient  for  the  day.  There 
are  several  other  stables,  each  having  three  or 
more  elephants,  but  we  will  not  prolong  our 
walk,  for  I think  you  must  be  satisfied  with 
sight-seeing  for  one  day.  The  tide  will  be  with 
us,  and  we  will  return  at  once  to  the  mission 
premises,  some  miles  below  us,  leaving  other 
objects  of  interest  till  another  day.  I should 
like  you  to  visit  the  royal  mint,  the  spacious, 
elegant  building  where  the  curious  money  is 


SIGHT-SEEING  IN  BANGKOK. 


95 


made,  and  you  ought  not  to  return  to  America 
without  attending  the  centennial  exhibition,  for 
Bangkok  is  now  (in  1882)  one  hundred  years 
old.  It  is  said  that  the  royal  jewelry  there  on 
exhibition  is  valued  at  about  five  million  dollars. 
There  is  a pyramid  of  untold  wealth  which  from 
base  to  summit  is  brilliant  with  rings,  crowns, 
rich  chains,  bracelets  and  anklets,  and  boxes 
with  diamonds  and  precious  stones  of  every 
description.  Light  is  thrown  on  it  by  reflec- 
tors, so  that  the  beautiful  things  are  seen  to  the 
best  possible  advantage. 

As  we  came  up  the  river  I did  not  point  out  to 
you  our  upper  Presbyterian  mission-station.  It 
is  just  here  on  our  right.  The  fine  building  is 
the  girls’  boarding-school,  the  first  in  the  king- 
dom of  Siam.  The  pretty  chapel  connected  with 
the  school  was  built  by  gifts  from  American 
women. 

We  are  just  passing  on  our  left  the  Baptist 
mission  to  the  Chinese,  and  the  little  English 
chapel,  where  there  is  English  service  every 
Sabbath  afternoon,  conducted  by  the  mission- 
aries. And  now  here  we  are  at  our  own  landing 
again. 


CHAPTER  II  r. 


TOURING  IN  SIAM. 

IN  the  cool  season  in  Siam,  or  in  the  months  of 
December  and  January,  the  missionaries  fre- 
quently go  in  boats  into  the  country,  to  be  absent 
two,  three,  or  four  weeks  at  a time,  and  as  there 
are  no  hotels  in  Siam  they  live  in  their  boats  day 
and  night.  These  boats  have  a snug  little  house 
in  the  centre,  about  seven  by  five  and  a half  feet, 
and  are  propelled  by  six  boatmen,  who  use  long 
oars  and  stand  behind  them  when  rowing.  They 
are  paid  about  twenty  cents  a day,  and  their  rice 
is  given  them.  The  missionaries  take  with  them 
hundreds  of  reli2;ious  books  and  tracts  in  the 
Siamese  language,  which  they  distribute  as  they 
travel  from  village  to  village,  preaching  and  giv- 
ing instruction  to  all  who  Avill  listen. 

Perhaps  you  will  be  interested  in  an  account 
of  one  of  these  mission  tours  taken  by  Dr. 
House  and  myself. 

One  fine  December  morning,  after  seeing  our 
books,  clothing,  bedding,  provisions,  dishes,  cook- 
ing utensils,  and  even  our  table,  all  snugly  stowed 
away  in  the  little  boat,  we  left  our  quiet  home  in 
Bangkok,  the  capital  city. 

96 


MISSIONARY-BOAT  FOR  TOURING  IN  SIAM. 


98 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


Ascending  the  beautiful  Menain  River,  we 
made  our  way  among  numerous  boats  of  every 
size  and  description,  ships  displaying  the  flags 
of  several  different  nations,  and  gay ly -painted, 
clumsy  Chinese  junks  that  were  moored  by  their 
huge  cables  in  the  stream,  and  on,  on  we  went, 
leaving  the  busy,  idolatrous  city  behind  us.  At 
five  o’clock  we  stopped  at  a pleasant  Buddhist 
temple  by  the  river-side  for  our  evening  meal. 
This  finished,  we  moved  on  for  an  hour  or  two 
after  dark,  and  then  moored  our  boat  for  the 
night  by  fastening  it  to  two  bamboo  poles  which 
our  men  had  planted  in  the  soft  mud  near  the 
bank. 

Here  let  me  tell  you  what  our  sleeping  arrange- 
ments were  for  each  night.  What  had  been  our 
dining-  and  sitting-room  through  the  day  was 
soon  converted  into  a bedroom,  and  in  a very 
sim|)le  way  too.  The  seats  of  our  boat  were 
arranged  along  the  sides,  omnibus-fashion,  and, 
filling  up  the  space  between  these  with  boards 
made  for  the  purpose,  we  had  our  bedstead,  and 
our  boat-cushions  made  our  bed.  Having  spread 
our  bedding  and  hung  ujd  the  indispensable  mos- 
quito-net by  strings  from  the  four  corners  of  the 
roof,  we  were  ready  to  commend  ourselves  to  the 
kind  care  of  Him  who  never  slumbers,  and  lay  us 
down  for  a good  night’s  sleep. 

The  boatmen  spread  their  mats  on  the  deck 
outside  the  cabin,  and,  putting  up  a kind  of  tern- 


TOURING  IN  SIAM. 


99 


porary  roof  made  of  leaves  fastened  together, 
they  were  protected  from  the  dew,  and  were 
contented  and  happy. 

Generally  at  daylight  every  morning  the  men 
would  move  on  a while  before  breakfast.  We 
always  preferred  to  stop  for  meals  or  for  the 
night  near  some  temple  or  village. 

While  taking  our  dinner  one  day  the  two  win- 
dows of  our  boat  on  the  side  of  the  river-bank 
being  open,  the  people  who  were  collected  there 
seemed  much  pleased  to  see  us  use  knives,  forks 
and  spoons.  It  was  a novel  sight  to  them,  as 
they  use  the  fingers  instead.  An  aged  couple 
watched  us  with  much  seeming  interest  for  some 
time,  and  then  the  husband  said  to  his  wife,  “Kin 
yarh  nuh'^  (They  eat  with  great  difficulty). 

When  we  first  went  to  Siam  not  one  woman 
or  little  girl  in  one  hundred  could  read,  although 
all  the  boys  are  taught  by  the  priests  in  the  tem- 
ples to  read  and  to  write.  One  day  a very  bright, 
interesting  little  girl,  twelve  years  old  perhaps, 
came  to  our  boat  to  see  the  strangers,  and  when 
asked  if  she  could  read,  she  did  not  answer  yes 
or  no,  but  with  surprise  exclaimed,  “ Why,  I’m 
a girir  as  if  we  ought  to  have  known  better 
than  to  ask  a girl  such  a question. 

One  day,  while  our  cook  was  preparing  our 
simple  meal  of  rice  and  curry,  we  walked  out 
into  the  pleasant  grounds  of  a temple.  Here  we 
found  a fine  large  ti*ee  whose  beautiful  white. 


100 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


wax-like  flowers  attracted  us  by  tlieir  fragrance. 
While  gathering  some  of  them  a young  man 
came  up  and  spoke  to  us.  Fearing  he  would 
think  we  were  going  to  offer  the  flowers  to  the 
idols  in  the  temple,  Dr.  House  said,  “ I am  not  go- 
ing to  offer  these,  as  you  would,  to  idols  which  can 
neither  see  nor  smell  them,  but  shall  give  them 
to  my  wife,  who  can  enjoy  them.”  The  tree 
seemed  almost  alive  with  gay  butterflies.  Sev- 
eral priests  had  gathered  about  us,  and  when 
they  were  asked  if  all  this  life  and  happiness 
and  beauty  did  not  make  them  think  there 
must  be  a wise  and  good  Creator  who  made 
the  trees,  flowers  and  butterflies  with  their  gay 
dress,  they  replied  “Pen  eng"  (They  made  them- 
selves). Oh,  is  it  not  sad  that  the  religion  of 
this  poor  j)eople  teaches  them  there  is  no  living 
God,  no  Creator  who  made  this  beautiful  world  ? 
The  dead  god  Buddha  that  they  worship,  whose 
images  are  in  every  temj^le,  was  but  a man  like 
themselves,  and,  now  that  he  has  left  the  world, 
knows  and  cares  nothing  about  it. 

An  old  priest  begged  our  umbrella.  The  doc- 
tor said,  “ If  I give  it  to  you,  very  soon  you  will 
want  to  make  merit,  and  will  perhaps  spread  it 
over  some  senseless  idol  of  brick  and  mortar  that 
cannot  feel  the  heat  as  we  do.”  Soon  after,  as 
they  followed  us  to  the  boat,  we  actually  saw  an 
old  umbrella  which  the  wind  had  blown  from  a 
dilapidated  image  it  had  sheltered.  When  re- 


TOURING  IN  SIAM. 


101 


minded  of  wliat  had  just  been  said,  they  laughed 
heartily,  hut  I fear  were  not  convinced  of  the 
folly  of  doing  such  things. 

In  the  listening  group  one  day  was  a gray- 
headed man,  who  asked,  “ Is  Jesus  the  same  as 
God  ?”  “ What  must  we  do  that  the  Lord  Jesus 
may  save  us  ?”  “ What  deeds  of  merit  must  we 

do  to  be  followers  of  the  true  God  ?”  When  we 
told  him  that  we  left  our  home,  our  parents  and 
our  friends,  and  journeyed  many  thousand  miles 
over  the  sea,  on  purpose  to  tell  him  and  his 
countrymen  of  the  religion  of  Jesus,  the  only 
Saviour  from  sin,  he  thanked  us.  We  gave  him 
a gospel  tract  on  prayer,  hoping  that  the  light  he 
had  received  might  lead  him  to  pray  for  more. 

On  one  occasion  we  stopped  at  an  old  preach- 
ing-place to  rest.  Let  me  tell  you  what  a queer 
place  it  was  for  a sermon.  It  was  a large  room 
open  on  all  sides  and  decorated  with  sticks  of 
very  small  bamboo,  to  which  were  pasted  small 
triangular  pieces  of  white  paper.  Thousands  of 
these  were  clustered  fancifully  together.  From 
the  ceiling  in  the  centre  of  the  room  hung  a 
piece  of  cloth  two  or  three  yards  long,  on  which 
Avas  a coarse  picture  of  Buddha  Avith  a discq^le 
on  each  side  of  him,  and  above  them  in  the 
clouds  angels  with  flowers.  Below  them,  on  a 
black  ground  to  represent  darkness,  were  painted 
persons  suffering  the  torments  of  hell  and  the 
priests  trying  to  assist  them. 


102 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


The  pulpit  was  a kind  of  high,  armed  chair, 
coarsely  decorated.  In  this  the  yellow-robed 
j^riests  sit  cross-legged  and  preach  in  a sing- 
song tone.  Seeing  two  images  of  Buddha  there, 
we  told  those  assembled  of  the  sin  and  folly  of 
trusting  in  them.  A young  man  replied  at  once, 
“ How  should  we  know  better,  when  there  is  no 
one  to  tell  us?  I beg  to  listen  while  you  tell 
us and  he  did  listen  very  attentively.  His 
question  touchingly  reminded  us  of  the  words 
of  Paul:  “How  shall  they  call  on  Him  in  whom 
they  have  not  believed?  and  how  shall  they  be- 
lieve in  Him  of  whom  they  have  not  heard  ? and 
how  shall  they  hear  without  a preacher?  and  how 
shall  they  preach,  except  they  be  sent?”  (Rom. 
10:  14). 

One  day  we  visited  an  image-house,  and  found 
one  idol  that  had  fallen  over  backward,  another 
without  a head,  another  without  arms.  When 
we  came  out  an  old  priest  asked  us  if  we  had 
been  in  to  worship.  We  replied,  “No,  indeed! 
What  we  saw  there  were  objects  of  pity  rather 
than  of  adoration.  They  cannot  take  care  of 
themselves,  cannot  hold  themselves  up ; what 
can  they  do  for  you  or  for  us?” 

Thus  we  went  from  one  village  to  another, 
conversing  with  hundreds  of  the  people  and 
giving  away  our  books  until  they  were  gone. 


THE  “MECCA”  OF  THE  SIAMESE. 


103 


PEABAT. 

it  is  supposed  that  Buddha  left  a clear  imprint 
of  his  foot  in  a rock  on  a mountain  there,  which 


A VISIT  TO  THE  “MECCA”  OF  THE  SIAMESE. 
Every  February  multitudes  of  the  Siamese 
visit  Prabat.  The  word  means  sacred  foot,  and 


104 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


is  a standing  proof  to  all  his  followers  that  he 
once  not  only  really  lived  upon  earth,  but  that 
he  visited  Siam. 

Let  me  tell  you  of  a visit  Dr.  House  and  I 
once  made  to  this  sacred  spot.  As  most  of  the 
traveling  in  Siam  is  in  boats,  we  left  home  in 
ours  one  fine  day  in  February,  taking  with  us 
some  Christian  books  and  tracts.  We  ascended 
the  beautiful  Menani  River,  passing  many 
thatched-roof  villages  and  scores  of  temples. 
At  Ayuthia,  the  old  capital  of  the  kingdom, 
we  took  the  eastern  branch  of  the  river,  and 
on  the  evening  of  the  third  day  we  reached  Ta 
Rua,  where  we  made  our  way  to  a landing-jilace 
through  an  immense  number  of  boats  of  every 
description.  From  here  we  were  to  proceed  by 
laud  to  Prabat,  a distance  of  about  fourteen  miles, 
and  after  engaging  an  elephant  and  making  other 
arrangements,  little  time  was  left  us  for  rest. 

At  two  o’clock  in  the  morning  we  were  awak- 
ened and  told  that  the  elephant  was  in  readiness. 
It  was  quite  dark,  and  as  by  the  dim  torchlight 
I saw  before  me  the  huge  form  of  the  creature  I 
was  to  mount,  I confess  to  considerable  reluctance 
and  trembling.  My  husband  climbed  up  first, 
and  then,  the  elephant  j^ntting  out  his  knee  to 
receive  me  as  it  had  him,  I stepped  upon  it  and 
with  help  managed  to  reach  my  lofty  perch.  The 
driver  kept  his  place  astride  the  creature’s  neck. 
One  of  the  men  scrambled  up  behind,  and  we 


THE  “MECCA"  OF  THE  SIA3IESE. 


105 


were  off,  leaving  the  others  to  follow  us  soon  in 
a buffalo-cart.  It  was  too  dark  for  any  but  a 
practiced  eye  to  see  the  road,  and  in  less  than 
half  an  hour  our  driver  contrived  to  lose  the 
way,  so  that  until  daylight  we  groped  on  through 
the  jungle,  not  knowing  into  what  pit  the  beast 
might  fall  or  when  it  might  brush  against  a tree 
and  throw  us  off.  Committing  ourselves  to  the 
great  Care-taker,  we  watched  for  the  first  rays  of 
morning  light  to  guide  us  on  our  course,  and 
when  some  time  after  sunrise  we  struck  upon  the 
beaten  path  we  were  happy  and  grateful  indeed. 
Now  I could  see  where  I was,  and  found  my- 
self seated  in  a howdah,  or  covered  saddle,  made 
of  strong  wood.  The  top  was  a kind  of  basket- 
work  lined  with  leaves,  and  so  arranged  as  to 
protect  us  from  sun  and  rain  and  from  branches 
of  trees  as  we  passed.  The  elephant  was  about 
nine  feet  high,  and  the  seat  was  raised  at  least  a 
foot  above  his  back.  To  novices  the  elephant- 
ride  is  apt  to  be  rather  alarming. 

Our  road  much  of  the  way  lay  through  a beau- 
tiful piece  of  woods,  the  trees  sometimes  forming 
an  arch  over  our  heads.  We  passed  multitudes 
of  pilgrims  going  or  returning,  some  riding  on 
elephants,  some  in  buffalo-carts  and  some  on 
foot ; also  groups  of  natives  seated  by  the  way- 
side  with  howlan  (rice  cooked  in  joints  of  bam- 
boo), palm-tree  sugar,  wild  honey  in  the  comb, 
etc.,  to  sell  to  passers-by.  I enjoyed  the  ride 


106 


STA3I  AND  LAOS. 


and  the  novelty  of  the  seenes  around  me  very 
much.  The  motion  and  the  creaking  sound  re- 
minded us  of  an  old-fashioned  stage-coach  on 
springs.  The  driver  was  asked  how  so  huge  an 
animal  could  be  so  easily  controlled  by  man. 
He  held  up  his  stick,  at  the  end  of  which  was, 
not  a lash,  but  a pointed  iron  spike  or  hook 
about  three  inches  long  and  as  large  as  one’s 
finger.  He  said,  “ This  is  what  makes  them 
submissive.”  Well  may  the  poor  creatures  fear 
it,  for  it  is  sometimes  driven  most  unmercifully 
into  their  heads. 

Our  kind  heavenly  Father  watched  over  us, 
our  beast  behaved  nobly,  and  we  arrived  at  Pra- 
bat  safely  about  ten  o’clock  in  the  morning,  in- 
stead of  at  seven,  as  we  should  if  we  had  not  lost 
our  way.  Here,  nestling  under  the  rocky  sides  of 
the  mountain,  were  several  wats,  or  monasteries, 
with  their  many  dwellings  for  the  priests,  preach- 
ing-places, and  huge  image-houses,  like  the  one 
seen  on  the  right  of  the  picture  (p.  103).  Hun- 
dreds of  bamboo  huts  had  been  newly  erected  for 
the  accommodation  of  the  multitudes  there  as- 
sembled. The  air  was  filled  with  the  melody  of 
sweet-toned  bells  and  the  lively  tinkling  music 
of  numerous  Siamese  bands.  A newly-vacated 
priests’  house  in  one  of  the  monasteries  was  soon 
put  at  our  disposal.  It  contained  but  a single 
small  room,  with  two  windows  and  a little  low 
door.  There  was  a veranda  on  one  side,  where 


THE  “MECCA"  OF  THE  SIAMESE. 


107 


our  servants  could  be  accommodated.  Travelers, 
in  this  country  especially,  must  not  be  fastidious, 
and  we  were  too  glad  to  secure  the  shelter  and 
the  retirement  the  little  dormitory  promised  to 
be  disposed  to  look  farther.  On  taking  posses- 
sion we  found  an  old  rice-pot,  remnants  of  priests’ 
yellow  robes  and  j^lenty  of  dirt.  One  of  our  men 
soon  disposed  of  the  rubbish  and  made  all  as  clean 
as  he  could  without  broom  or  water.  Furnishing 
the  room  with  the  mats  and  cushions  brought  with 
us  from  the  boat,  we  seated  ourselves  upon  them 
Siamese  fashion  and  with  good  appetites  partook 
of  our  midday  meal. 

Before  us  we  could  see  the  picturesque  moun- 
tain with  its  many  white-spired  pagodas  and  the 
splendid  shrine  or  temple  which  is  built  over  the 
sacred  footprint.  In  the  picture  it  is  the  elegant 
structure  which  you  see,  with  a seven-storied  roof 
terminating  in  a graceful  tapering  spire  (p.  103) . 
The  whole  being  richly  gilded,  the  rays  of  the  sun 
resting  upon  it  made  it  very  beautiful.  Having 
dined,  we  made  our  way  to  this  temple.  The  rocky 
platform  on  which  it  stands  is  reached  by  some 
fifty  or  more  steps  (not  seen  in  the  picture),  which 
devout  Buddhists  always  ascend  on  their  knees. 
Its  outer  walls  are  covered  with  bright  mosaic. 
The  large  double  doors  are  beautifully  inlaid  with 
figures  of  mother-of-pearl.  On  the  inner  walls 
are  painted  scenes  from  the  life  of  Buddha.  The 
apartment  is  about  thirty  feet  square,  and  the 


108 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


floor  is  covered  with  plates  of  what  they  say  is 
silver.  On  the  walls  hangs  what  is  said  to  be  a 
representation  of  the  footprint,  set  with  jewels 
and  made  of  beaten  gold.  It  is  about  four  feet 
long  and  one  and  a half  broad.  Of  what  is  wor- 
shiped as  the  footprint  itself  we  could  see  nothing 
but  a dark  oblong  opening  in  the  floor  like  a small 
open  grave.  It  is  enclosed  in  a railing  about  a 
foot  high,  said  to  be  of  solid  silver,  and  over  it  is 
an  elegant  gilt  canopy  with  curtains  of  gold  cloth 
at  the  sides. 

There  were  many  worshipers  within  the  tem- 
ple, and  a great  number  of  small  wax  candles  or 
tapers  burning.  The  poor  devotees  entered  the 
sacred  spot  on  their  knees,  and,  crawling  beside 
the  footprint,  bowed  the  head  three  times  to  the 
floor  and  laid  their  offering  within  the  enclosure. 
Then,  crawling  to  some  water  that  had  probably 
been  blessed  by  the  priests,  they  sprinkled  their 
heads,  and  left  the  room,  as  they  entered  it,  upon 
their  knees.  Some  who  perhaps  were  too  poor 
to  make  any  offering  took  up  a priest’s  fan  and 
with  all  the  solemnity  possible  fanned  the  foot- 
print. All  these  ceremonies  were  performed  in 
perfect  silence,  and  the  place  seemed  truly  sol- 
emn. Oh,  how  my  heart  ached  to  tell  them  the 
folly  of  all  these  things,  and  to  point  them  to  the 
almighty  One  whose  footprints  can  everywhere 
be  traced  in  nature ! 

When  we  were  returning  from  the  temple  a 


THE  “MECCA”  OF  THE  SIAMESE. 


109 


messenger  came  running  after  us  and  invited  us 
to  the  house  of  his  master,  who  proved  to  be  a 
nobleman  of  high  rank  from  Bangkok.  We  had 
a very  pleasant  visit.  Oranges  and  wild  honey 
were  served,  and  we  drank  tea  poured  from  a 
massive  gold  teapot  into  tiny  china  cups.  Many 
heard  that  afternoon  the  message  we  had  brought. 
Beaching  our  house  at  evening,  we  spread  our 
mats  and  took  our  seats  upon  the  veranda.  A 
crowd  of  people,  who,  like  all  the  rest,  had  come 
there  to  make  merit,  soon  collected  around  us. 
They  supposed  we  also  came  to  make  merit,  and 
there  was  no  lack  of  opportunity  for  us  to  do  so 
by  giving  to  the  various  beggars  that  presented 
themselves.  First  came  two  distressed  lepers. 
One,  not  able  to  walk,  hitched  himself  along  on 
the  ground.  He  beat  a Siamese  drum  with  the 
stumps  of  his  fingers,  while  the  other  beat  two 
pieces  of  bamboo  together,  both  singing  at  the 
same  time  the  sad  tale  of  their  sufferings  and 
inability  to  earn  a living.  Complimenting  our 
generosity  in  advance,  they  begged  for  money. 
As  they  were  really  objects  of  pity,  we  gave  each 
of  them  a small  silver  coin,  upon  which  they 
broke  forth  in  a shower  of  blessings  : “ May  you 
flourish  in  this  state  of  being  and  in  the  next — 
have  elephants,  horses  and  servants,  silver  and 
gold,  rice,  salt  and  every  good  thing ! May  your 
age  be  lengthened  out  to  a hundred  years,  a thou- 
sand years!  May  you  have  handsome  children — 


110 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


sons  who  shall  be  priests  and  head  })iiests ! May 
you  live  in  a well-built  house  with  many  roofs!” 
etc.  A blind  man  came  singing  and  beating  two 
pieces  of  brass  together;  then  an  old  man  with  a 
withered  arm ; and  so  they  kept  coming  as  long 
as  we  would  listen  to  them.  AVe  improved  the 
opportunity  to  tell  these  poor  creatures  the  story 
of  the  blessed  Jesus,  who,  while  upon  earth,  healed 
the  leper,  restored  the  withered  hand  and  gave 
sight  to  the  blind,  and  who  is  now  both  able  and 
willing  to  heal  the  greater  maladies  of  the  soul. 

The  next  day  was  the  Sabbath,  and  during 
morning  worship  with  our  servants  many  came 
around  the  door  to  listen.  After  worship  Dr. 
House  left  me  to  receive  any  visitors  who  might 
call  for  conversation  or  books,  and  went  forth  on 
his  labor  of  love,  spending  the  day  till  dusk 
among  the  people.  Hundreds  heard  from  his 
lips  of  the  great  Being  who  made  them  and  of 
the  Redeemer  who  died  to  save  them,  and  among 
them  were  many  attentive  listeners. 

Monday  morning  we  left  for  home.  About 
eight  o’clock  there  were  two  elephants  at  the 
door  for  ourselves  and  our  men.  This  time  we 
mounted  ours  with  the  help  of  a ladder  placed 
against  his  side,  and  noAV,  more  at  home  in  the 
lofty  saddle,  I quite  enjoyed  my  ride.  Ko  special 
adventure  befell  us  on  the  way,  and  about  one 
o’clock  we  reached  our  boat  and  found  all  in  it 
safe.  Paying  our  boat-keeper  his  moderate 


THE  “MECCA”  OF  THE  SIAMESE. 


Ill 


charge  for  the  care  of  it  during  our  absence, 
and  having  rested  and  dined,  we  were  soon  in 
our  boat  and  again  on  our  homeward  way.  We 
visited  the  villages  on  the  banks,  distributed  our 
remaining  books,  and  talked  with  the  people  in 
their  homes  and  the  priests  in  their  wats,  or  tem- 
ples. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

IN  AND  ABOUT  PETCIIABUREE. 

OUR  mission-boat,  with  its  drawers  and  cup- 
boards and  shelves  for  storing  away  food, 
clothes,  etc.,  awaits  us  at  Bangkok.  Rowers 
are  hired  for  twenty-four  cents  per  day,  with 
enough  rice  for  food.  We  start  out  with  the 
rising  tide  in  our  favor.  The  boat  moves  stead- 
ily on.  Reading,  conversation  and  slee])ing  fill 
our  time.  At  last  we  notice  that  the  houses  along 
the  banks  are  larger  and  better  built,  and,  pass- 
ing around  a bend  of  the  river,  we  see  our  mis- 
sion compound,  consisting  of  three  large  brick 
houses  and  one  smaller.  Two  of  the  houses  are 
occupied  by  the  mission  family ; the  third  is  the 
Petchaburee  Home  for  Siamese  girls,  in  charge  of 
the  missionary  ladies.  The  chapel  front  is  used 
for  worship  each  morning.  The  small  house  is 
Dr.  Sturge’s  hospital. 

Leaving  the  boat,  we  climb  the  stej5s  on  the 
left  bank,  and  enter  the  yard  with  its  green 
grass  and  blooming  flowers.  W e are  gladly 
welcomed,  for  our  arrival  here  is  a great  treat. 
112 


114 


67.14/  AND  LAOS. 


Siam  is  one  of  the  hot  countries  where  every- 
tliing  moves  slowly.  Our  boat-trip  of  from 
thirty-six  to  forty-eight  hours  has  made  us 
glad  to  rest  till  evening.  When  it  is  cooler 
we  will  take  a walk  to  the  nearest  mountain, 
which  is  about  three-quarters  of  a mile  from 
the  mission  compound.  The  road  along  the 
river-bank  is  forty  or  fifty  feet  wide  and  very 
smooth,  and  shaded  on  either  side  by  beautiful 
trees.  AVe  pass  several  native  houses,  and  come 
to  a heantifnl  grassy  plain,  beyond  which  are 
rice-fields  reaching  to  the  foot  of  “ The  Mountain 
of  the  Highest  Heaven.”  On  its  summit  stands 
the  large  royal  summer  palace,  huilt  by  the  late 
supreme  king,  whose  white  buildings  glitter  in 
the  sun  and  form  a beautiful  contrast  to  the 
green  ranges  of  distant  hills.  His  Majesty  and 
his  court  spend  part  of  every  year  here.  A 
paved  walk  with  steps  leads  up  the  hill.  Pass- 
ing some  plain  two-story  brick  buildings,  you 
come  to  the  wide  terraces  and  surrounding  bar- 
racks of  His  Majesty’s  private  apartments,  the 
walls  of  which  are  covered  with  rough  paintings 
representing  some  of  the  Buddhistic  fables.  The 
floor  of  the  king’s  reception-room  is  j^aved  with 
marble  blocks  about  a foot  square,  and  at  one 
side  is  a raised  seat  for  the  king.  Royalty  in 
Siam  never  sits  on  a level  with  common  people. 
A very  pretty  Brussels  mat  is  placed  for  the 
king’s  feet,  and  when  he  visits  the  palace  a set 


PETCHABUREE. 


115 


of  stuffed  chairs  covered  with  blue  brocade  satin 
are  brought  to  ornament  the  place. 

There  are  a number  of  smaller  buildings  sur- 
rounding the  palace  for  the  numerous  attendants 
of  the  king.  On  the  very  summit  of  the  hill, 
separate  from  the  palace,  is  a large  audience-hall 
— a long,  low  room,  almost  entirely  bare,  with 
a semi-circnlar  throne,  consisting  of  four  stone 
steps,  at  one  end.  Two  large  Siamese  paintings 
— “ The  Reception  of  the  French  Ambassadors 
at  Court”  and  “ Bonzes  Worshiping  Gandama” — 
are  painted  on  the  side-walls.  There  is  also  a 
round  brick  tower  about  thirty  feet  in  height, 
used  as  an  observatory.  The  view  from  this 
tower  is  enchanting — on  one  side  extensive  fieltls 
of  ripened  paddy,  groves  of  sugar-palms  and 
cocoanuts,  with  here  and  there  a hill  rising  ab- 
ruptly from  the  plain  ; the  city,  the  river,  the 
canals,  and  far  off  to  the  east  the  blue  waters  of 
the  gulf ; west  and  south  there  extend  at  least 
three  distinct  ranges  of  low,  thickly-wooded  hills. 

If  it  were  earlier  in  the  day  we  would  ascend 
the  mountain  and  visit  the  Bnddhist  temple  and 
large  pagoda  near,  and  measure  the  great  image 
of  Buddha,  each  foot  seven  feet  long,  with  fingers 
and  toes  as  large  around  as  the  body  of  a stout 
person ; but  it  is  nearing  sunset  and  we  turn  our 
faces  homeward. 

Our  road  now  leads  through  rice-fields,  which 
reach  to  the  foot  of  the  mountain.  We  meet 


116 


67.1.1/  AND  LAOS. 


people  coming  home  from  their  work  in  the 
fields.  Some  of  them  have  j)oles  across  their 
shoulders,  to  Avhich  are  attached  bundles  of 
sticks  for  fuel  or  perha})s  sheaves  of  rice  which 
they  have  gathered.  Some  stop  to  speak  to  us  or 


VIEW  OF  THE  MOUNTAINS  OF  PETCIIABUHEE. 

to  look  at  us,  and  we  give  them  a tract  or  one  of 
the  Gosjiels ; but  we  must  not  tarry,  for  when 
the  sun  is  gone  in  these  tropical  countries  it  is 
soon  dark.  The  brick  bnihling  a little  to  the 
right  as  Ave  return  is  the  Presbyterian  church  of 
Petchaburee. 

The  next  morning  we  take  an  early  start  for 


FETCH ABUREE. 


117 


tlie  Iloyal  Cave,  It  is  too  far  to  walk,  so  we  ride 
over  the  road  which  we  took  before  to  the  foot  of 
the  mountain,  then  off  to  the  right,  a mile,  to  an- 
other mountain.  We  leave  the  conveyance  and 
climb  the  mountain-side  to  a gate,  which  we 
enter,  and  find  steps  which  lead  down  into  the 
cave.  The  nooks  and  corners  are  filled  with 
idols  and  figures  representing  the  miseries  of  the 
lost,  and  the  bottom  of  the  cave  is  paved  with 
tiles  and  surrounded  on  all  sides  with  rows  of 
idols,  large  and  small.  The  cave  itself  is  grand, 
with  its  columns  of  stalactites  and  stalagmites. 
From  one  of  the  former  water  drops  so  fast  that 
a plaster  basin  has  been  made  to  receive  it.  This 
water  is  very  cool  and  pleasant  to  drink.  An 
opening  at  the  top  of  the  cave  admits  the  sun- 
shine and  brightens  the  whole  scene.  Here  are 
two  large  rooms,  the  second  unpaved,  but  having 
rows  of  idols,  and  being  lighted  from  the  top 
like  the  first.  Passing  through  this  room,  we 
come  into  a narrow  way  as  dark  as  possible, 
leading  into  a very  small  space  lighted  from 
above,  where  we  find  a very  long  ladder.  Up, 
up,  we  go,  and  again  we  find  ourselves  on  the 
mountain-side.  We  are  glad  to  return  home,  for 
the  heat  has  grown  very  oppressive  while  we 
have  been  in  the  cave. 

At  about  three  o’clock  we  will  take  a walk  to 
the  city  to  see  the  market,  and  as  we  stroll  along 
the  bank  of  the  river  we  pass  the  three  brick 


118 


SIAM  Aj^D  LAOS. 


houses  belonging  to  the  ex-regent  of  Siam. 
Tliese  are  thickly  shaded  by  large  trees,  and 
the  green  lawn  is  bounded  by  a hedge.  Here 
we  enter  a street  of  the  city,  and  soon  come  to  a 
massive  bridge,  and,  turning  to  the  left,  cross  the 
river  and  find  ourselves  upon  the  main  street  of 
the  city.  It  seems  strange  to  call  it  a city,  and 
yet  its  population  is  estimated  at  twenty  thou- 
sand. The  streets  are  very  narrow  and  have  no 
sidewalks.  Some  of  the  houses  are  brick  and 
some  bamboo.  The  stores  have  an  open  room 
next  the  street,  with  a little  porch  where  the 
salesman  or  saleswoman  sits.  The  people  who 
have  brought  articles  to  market  for  sale  have 
arranged  their  wares  on  either  side  the  street, 
and  now  we  are  surrounded  by  fish,  pork,  vege- 
tables and  fruits  in  such  abundance  that  it  is 
difficult  to  make  one’s  way  among  them. 

As  we  pass  up  the  street  we  come  to  a large 
open  gate  on  either  side.  That  on  the  left  opens 
into  the  governor’s  grounds.  His  Excellency  is 
hearing  a case.  The  court-room  is  simply  a shed, 
where  the  governor  sits  on  a chair  or  bench, 
while  the  accused  and  accuser,  the  witnesses  and 
judges,  sit  on  the  ground  at  his  feet.  The  gate 
on  the  right  opens  into  a yard  surrounding  the 
new  courthouse,  a good  brick  building,  from 
which  a walk  leads  to  the  river.  This  river  is 
like  one  street  of  the  city,  for  boats  are  passing 
and  repassing  constantly. 


PETCHABUREE. 


119 


Leaving  the  market,  we  pass  on  and  find  the 
houses  built  farther  apart,  and  there  are  more 
shade-trees.  The  j>eople  on  either  side  are  cook- 
ing their  rice,  and  some  are  already  eating.  Soon 
we  come  to  a nice  clean  cross-street,  and,  follow- 
ing this,  we  reach  another  running  parallel  with 
the  river,  and  the  prettiest  street  of  the  city.  It 
has  plenty  of  shade  and  several  temples,  includ- 
ing one  in  Chinese  architecture,  highly  orna- 
mented. In  the  temple-grounds  are  some  very 
pretty  flowers,  and  when  we  reach  the  governor’s 
place  we  find  a really  beautiful  garden,  with 
a summer-house  covered  with  blooming  vines 
standing  in  the  midst,  surrounded  by  a variety 
of  well-selected  and  beautifully-arranged  flowers. 
A little  farther  on  we  come  to  a cross-street  that 
brings  us  to  the  vice-governor’s  place,  back  across 
the  main  street  and  to  the  bridge.  We  pause  here 
for  our  final  look  at  the  lovely  scene.  Up  and 
down  the  river  boats  are  passing  constantly.  On 
either  side  of  the  stream  are  stately  palms,  the 
spreading  mango  and  the  feathery  branches  of 
the  bamboo.  Facing  the  bridge  where  we  stand 
is  Palace  Mountain,  with  its  sides  dressed  in 
green  and  its  summit  crowned  with  the  bril- 
liancy of  the  setting  sun.  We  gaze  on  its  splen- 
dor, and  as  we  stand  hushed  by  the  beauty  all 
about  us,  our  hearts  go  up  in  prayer  that  it  may 
be  but  a symbol  of  the  beauty  of  holiness  that 
shall  soon  cover  this  fair  land. 


CHAPTER  V. 


THE  ANIMALS  OF  SIAM. 

1 PROVIDED  with  a tropical  climate,  the  forests 
and  jungles,  the  air  and  the  water  of  Siam, 
teem  with  animal  life.  The  elephant  heads  the 
list.  It  is  said  that  the  king  can  muster  thou- 
sands of  trained  elephants  for  service  in  war. 
Tigers  and  hears,  rhinoceri,  deer,  wild  goats  and 
porcupines  are  numerous.  The  bones  of  the  tiger 
are  sold  as  a tonic,  and  rhinoceros-horns  sell  in 
Bangkok  for  more  than  their  weight  in  silver. 
The  cattle  are  small,  and  are  used  only  to  tread 
out  the  grain  or  with  pack-saddles  to  transport 
rice,  silk  or  army  supplies.  The  buffalo,  or  un- 
gainly water-ox,  takes  the  ])lace  of  our  oxen. 
The  Siamese  have  no  milch  cattle,  and  know 
nothing  of  butter  or  cheese,  and  their  religion 
forbids  them  to  slaughter  for  food. 

While  the  Siamese  have  great  veneration  for 
the  white  elephant,  the  white  monkey,  the  white 
squirrel  and  some  other  white  animals,  they  have 
a great  dislike  to  a white  cat.  Their  cats  differ 
from  ours  in  color.  Some  have  long  tails  and 
some  short  ones;  some  have  curled  tails  that  look 
120 


THE  ANIMALS  OF  SIAM. 


121 


as  if  tliey  had  a knot  tied  in  them,  and  some  have 
no  tails  at  all. 

Miserable  yellow  dogs  of  the  pariah  race  may 
be  counted  by  thousands.  They  are  a great  an- 
noyance to  missionaries  when  they  go  into  the 
country  distributing  books  from  house  to  house. 
We  have  had  seven  or  eight  rush  out  at  us  from 
one  house,  and  it  was  only  by  the  greatest  watch- 


MONKEYS. 

fulness  on  our  part  and  that  of  our  servants  that 
they  could  be  kept  from  pouncing  upon  us.  It 
really  requires  a brave  heart  to  venture  among 
them  on  such  occasions. 

When  out  in  the  country  in  our  boats  we  have 
seen  scores  of  monkeys  with  their  young  leaping 
from  branch  to  branch  on  the  trees  or  playing 
their  antics  on  the  bank,  and  thousands  of  bats, 
that  prey  upon  the  fruit-gardens  by  night,  and 


122 


SIAM  AM)  LAOS. 


(luring  the  day  may  be  seen  hanging  by  tlieir 
feet  in  their  shady  haunts. 

Siam  has  a variety  of  birds — the  snow-white 
rice-bird,  the  kingfisher,  the  gay  peacock,  the 


JAVA  SPARROWS. 


})heasant,  the  j)arrot,  and  thieving  crows  of  amaz- 
ing number  and  audacity.  There  are  many  sing- 
ing birds,  among  them  a species  of  tlirush  that 
imitates  all  the  sounds  he  hears.  He  will  imitate 
the  human  voice,  and  bark,  mew  and  crow.  There 
is  a small  black-and-white  bird  that  sings  very 
sweetly  at  daybreak.  Our  domestic  fowl  is  at 
home  in  Siamese  jungles.  Pelicans  and  other 
waterfowl  abound. 

The  chief  food  of  the  common  people  is  fish. 
They  are  found  in  great  variety,  and  some  of 
them  are  delicious.  The  streams  so  swarm  with 


THE  ANIMALS  OF  SIAM. 


123 


is  abundant,  and  boa-constrictors  ten  and  twelve 
feet  long  have  often  been  killed  while  robbing 
our  hen-roosts  in  Bangkok.  One  morning,  on 
going  into  my  bathroom,  I found  a snake  three 
feet  long.  On  another  occasion,  when  about  to 
retire,  we  found  a very  poisonous  one  under  our 
bed.  One  of  our  missionaries  carelessly  left  his 


them  that  they  often  jump  into  the  passing 
boats. 

There  are  snakes,  scorpions  and  centipedes  in 
Siam,  all  of  which  frequently  find  their  way  into 
our  houses.  Some  of  the  snakes  are  very  venom- 
ous ; among  these  the  cobra,  or  hooded  serpent. 


THE  COBRA. 


124 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


trunk  open,  and  when  lie  went  for  a change  of 
linen,  he  found  a snake  coiled  up  in  the  bottom 
of  it.  I have  found  scorpions  on  my  bed-cur- 
tains, on  my  centre-table  and  elsewhere,  and  fre- 
quently in  my  clothes-basket. 

But  more  than  all  these  we  dreaded  the  mos- 
quito, from  which  we  were  never  free,  day  or 
night.  At  some  seasons  of  the  year  these  little 
tormentors  were  almost  more  than  we  could  bear. 

There  are  ants  too,  large  and  small,  black, 
white  and  red,  and  their  name  is  legion.  Side- 
boards, tables  or  anything  else  in  Siam  upon 
which  food  is  placed  must  stand  in  bowls  of 
water  or  oil,  and  it  will  not  do  to  forget  this 
even  for  a few  moments.  One  morning,  on  my 
way  to  the  dining-room,  I stopped  and  admired 
my  canary  bird  that  was  hanging  on  my  front 
veranda.  Going  out  again  after  breakfast,  I saw 
a procession  of  beautiful  yellow  feathers  moving 
along  on  a beam  over  head,  and  on  hastening  to 
the  cage  I found  my  pet  lying  dead,  stung  to 
death  by  the  red  ants  and  nearly  stripped  of  its 
plumage.  One  of  our  missionary  families  once 
went  to  spend  a few  weeks  at  another  mission- 
station,  and  on  their  return  they  found  the  white 
ants  had  come  up  through  the  floor  and  had 
eaten  their  way  through  a trunk  to  the  top,  and 
every  fold  of  the  garments  needed  mending. 

We  never  wearied  watching  the  fireflies  as  in 
countless  multitudes  they  would  spread  them- 


THE  ANIMALS  OF  SIAM. 


125 


selves  over  the  branches  of  their  favorite  trees, 
and  alternately,  with  the  utmost  regularity  and 
exactness,  all  at  once  give  out  their  diamond 
spark  or  hide  their  light  in  darkness. 

We  were  often  serenaded  at  evening  as  we  sat 
on  our  veranda  by  grasshoppers  and  crickets, 
while  immense  frogs  would  sing  the  bass  in  the 
grand  chorus. 

Beautiful,  harmless  little  lizards,  about  a finger 
long,  ready  for  their  evening  meal  of  mosquitoes 
and  other  insects,  make  tlicir  appearance  on  our 
walls  and  ceilings  as  soon  as  the  lamps  are  light- 
ed. I have  often  counted  between  twenty  and 
thirty  of  them  out  at  once.  There  is  another 
lizard,  almost  as  large  as  a young  kitten,  which 
also  comes  out  on  our  walls  for  his  evening  meal, 
having  hid  through  the  day  behind  our  mirrors 
or  pictures.  It  is  quite  harmless,  but  with  its 
loud  outcry  of  tookaah  ! tookaah  ! it  often  startles 
new-comers  from  their  midnight  slumbers. 

There  are  crocodiles  in  great  numbers  in  the 
rivers  and  creeks  of  Siam.  In  one  day’s  boat- 
ride  on  the  Uj)per  Menam,  Dr.  House  once 
counted  one  hundred  and  seventy,  varying  in 
size  from  three  to  fifteen  feet. 

Let  me  tell  one  or  two  true  stories  of  croco- 
diles. When  we  were  once  visiting  the  mission- 
station  at  Petchaburee  a crocodile  seized  a young 
girl  twelve  years  old  and  devoured  her,  leaving 
only  an  arm  in  the  boat.  The  governor,  wishing 


12G 


SIAM  AXD  LAOS. 


to  destroy  the  monster,  ordered  a search  to  be 
made  for  it,  and  invited  us  to  see  the  captures 
which  his  men  made  and  brought  to  our  laud- 
ing. Three  huge  fellows,  averaging  twelve  feet 
each,  lay  securely  pinioned  on  the  bottom  of  their 
boat,  but  neither  of  them  proved  to  be  the  one 
sought  for. 

In  the  strange  providence  of  God,  whose  king- 
dom ruleth  over  all,  one  of  these  terrible  creatures 
once  became  the  means  of  salvation  to  a Chinese 
lisherman  in  Siam,  and  through  him  of  founding 
in  a distant  and  important  town  a native  church 
which  now  has  many  Chinese  communicants. 
He  was  wading  in  the  shallows  at  the  head  of 
tlie  Gulf  of  Siam,  collecting  shellfish,  when  what 
he  supposed  was  a log  drifting  toward  him  proved 
to  be  a huge  crocodile,  which  attacked  him  fierce- 
ly, biting  olf  his  hand,  so  that  it  only  hung  by 
the  tendons  of  the  wrist.  At  his  cries  for  lielj) 
his  comrades  came  and  drove  the  creature  away. 
Mortification  set  in,  which  would  have  ended  in 
death  had  he  not  sought  the  missionary  physician 
in  Bangkok.  My  husband  amputated  the  arm, 
the  stump  healed  kindly,  and  when,  at  the  end 
of  the  month,  he  left  the  mission  hospital  to  re- 
turn home,  his  gratitude  and  trust  in  those  whose 
Christian  kindness  and  care  had  saved  his  life 
led  him  to  say  that  their  God,  of  Avhom  they  had 
told  him,  should  henceforth  be  his  God.  F rom  that 
time  he  gave  up  tlie  worship  of  idols  and  refused 


HUNTING  THU  CKOCODILK. 


128 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


to  work  on  the  Christian  Sabbath.  As  he  spoke 
only  the  dialect  used  by  the  brethren  of  the  Amer- 
ican Baptist  mission,  who  are  laboring  among  the 
Chinese  of  Siam,  he  was  referred  to  them  for 
further  instruction,  and  was  soon  baptized.  He 
invited  the  missionaries  and  native  assistant  to 
make  his  house  at  Bangplasoi  a preaching-sta- 
tion. Some  of  his  relatives  and  others  were 
converted,  a mission-chapel  was  built  (largely 
with  his  assistance),  and  now  there  are  there 
several  hundred  Chinese  converts  from  heathen- 
ism, and  Bangplasoi  is  an  important  mission- 
station  among  the  Chinese. 

Elephants. 

Having  lived  twenty  years  in  “ The  Land  of 
the  White  Elephant,”  whose  king  has  for  one 
of  his  titles  “ The  Lord  of  the  White  Elephant,” 
and  whose  flag  is  a white  elephant  on  a red 
ground,  having  often  ridden  on  elephants,  and 
my  husband  having  twice  narrowly  escaped  with 
his  life  when  traveling  with  them,  once  having 
been  badly  gored  by  one, — I may  be  permitted 
to  say  something  not  only  of  the  white  elephant, 
but  of  his  less-esteemed  relatives  of  a darker  com- 
plexion. 

Elephants  are  found  in  great  numbers  and 
perfection  in  Siam  and  the  Laos  country  at  the 
north.  Our  missionaries  at  Cheung  Mai,  the 
capital  city  of  the  Laos,  tell  ns  they  not  un- 


ELEPHANTS  AT  HOME. 


9 


130 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


frequently  see  hundreds  pass  in  a single  day, 
and  when  a prince  leaves  home  he  is  accom- 
panied by  a train  of  two  or  three  hundred. 

They  sometimes  attain  to  the  height  of  ten  or 
eleven  feet,  but  whatever  their  height  may  be,  it 
is  a fact,  which  we  have  often  proved  by  actual 
measurement,  that  it  never  exceeds  twice  the 
circumference  of  the  foot.  They  are  very  long- 
lived,  sometimes  living  one  hundred  and  fifty 
years  or  more.  They  are  used  as  beasts  of  bur- 
den and  in  war,  for  dragging  timber  from  the 
forests  and  for  traveling,  and  their  tusks,  it  is 
well  -known,  are  a valuable  article  of  commerce. 

It  would  be  hardly  possible  for  one  to  make 
his  way  through  the  jungles  of  Siam  without 
the  elephant.  He  does  not  put  his  foot  down 
till  he  is  sure  it  is  safe  to  do  so,  and  then  you 
may  feel  sure  too.  He  will  remove  with  his 
trunk  interlacing  vines,  projecting  branches  of 
trees  and  everything  that  would  hinder  his  prog- 
ress, and  if  necessary  he  will  drag  himself  on 
knees  or  belly  over  a swamp.  If  he  has  a stream 
to  cross  he  will  first,  with  his  proboscis,  find  how 
deep  it  is,  then  move  slowly  and  cautiously  till 
he  gets  beyond  his  depth,  when  he  will  swim. 
He  will  descend  into  ravines  into  which  men 
cannot  go,  and  will  climb  steep  mountains.  He 
will  travel  from  four  to  five  miles  an  hour,  and 
when  weary  will  make  known  to  his  driver  his 
wish  to  rest  by  striking  the  ground  with  his 


KLEPHANT  PLOUGHING. 


132 


67.1.1/  ANl)  LAOS. 


trunk,  niiikiiig  a peculiar  aiul  unmistakable 
noise.  A large  trunk  is  considered  a mark  of 
great  beauty  in  an  elejiliant,  but  as  be  always 
carries  it  himself,  no  one  can  object  to  it.  The 
driver  is  seated  astride  the  neck.  The  elephant 
carries  his  head  so  steadily  that  this  is  the  most 
desiralile  seat,  because  there  is  the  least  motion. 
It  is  the  seat  of  honor  for  the  king,  who  glories 
in  managing  his  own  beast.  The  driver  always 
carries  with  him  a large  stick,  at  the  end  of 
which  is  a sharp-pointed  iron  hook,  with  which 
he  beats  the  animal,  when  unruly,  unmercifully 
over  the  head  and  temples  till  he  is  subdued. 

Elephants  are  very  sagacious  animals,  and 
many  amusing  and  interesting  stories  are  told 
of  them.  It  is  said  that  one  of  them  was  once 
taught  to  stand  at  the  gate  of  the  king’s  palace 
and  from  a large  vessel  placed  there,  filled  with 
rice,  take  out  some  with  a huge  sjioon  and  give 
to  every  j)riest  that  jiassed.  I cannot  vouch  for 
the  truth  of  this,  but  more  wonderful  instances 
of  sagacity  can  be  verified.  The  white  elephants 
in  the  king’s  stables  in  Bangkok  have  been  taught 
to  salute  His  Majesty  by  raising  their  trunks  high 
above  their  heads. 

While  I resided  in  Siam  an  American  friend 
went  with  his  wife  from  Bangkok  through  the 
wilderness  to  British  Burmah.  They  traveled 
nearly  two  hundred  miles,  and  used  some  four- 
teen different  ele[)hants,  paying  about  fifty  cents 


WHITE  ELEPHANTS. 


133 


a day  for  each.  At  night  these  beasts  were  turned 
out  to  browse  among  the  bamboos,  some  of  the 
drivers  keeping  watch.  When  they  were  in  the 
jungle  bright  fires  were  kept  blazing.  Awaking 
one  night  from  a sound  sleep,  and  looking  toward 
the  blaze,  my  friend  saw  among  the  outstretched 
sleeping  men  one  of  the  huge  elephants  seated  on 
his  haunches  warming  himself  by  the  fire.  He 
awoke  his  wife  to  enjoy  with  him  this  strange 
and  amusing  sight  in  the  solemn  stillness  of  the 
tropical  forest. 

In  March  of  every  year  a large  number  of  wild 
elephants  are  captured  at  the  city  of  Ayuthia,  and 
from  them  His  Majesty  makes  selections  for  his 
royal  stables  in  Bangkok.  For  eight  or  ten 
weeks  hundreds  of  men  are  employed  to  drive 
them  from  the  forests  where  they  roam,  that  they 
may  be  nearer  the  city.  On  the  day  appointed 
for  their  capture  a number  of  tame  ones  are  used 
to  entice  them  into  the  enclosure  prepared  for 
them,  and  they  seem  to  take  great  pleasure  and 
show  wonderful  sagacity  in  helping  to  capture 
their  kindred.  They  will  hem  in  some  two  hun- 
dred wild  ones,  and  with  the  help  of  their  drivers 
and  attendants  compel  them  to  enter  through  the 
gate  into  the  enclosure.  Some  go  in  quietly,  and 
others  make  great  resistance.  Such  as  His  Maj- 
esty fancies  are  then  secured  by  strong  noosed 
ropes  cautiously  slipped  over  their  feet  and  fast- 
ened to  trees  or  posts.  AVhen  thoroughly  sub- 


134 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


clued  by  liunger  or  hard  blows  they  are  brought 
down  to  Bangkok.  After  a time  they  become 
quite  reconciled  to  their  new  surroundings,  and 
show  no  disposition  to  return  to  their  forest 
home. 

Nothing  can  equal  the  veneration  of  the  Siam- 
ese for  the  so-called  white  elej)hant,  though  the 
only  really  white  elephant  is  upon  their  national 
flag.  Sometimes  one  is  found  something  the  color 
of  a Bath  brick  (used  for  cleaning  knives)  or  a 
little  darker,  and  is  so  much  lighter-colored  than 
usual  that  it  is  spoken  of  as  white;  but  most  of 
these  are  only  lighter  in  patches  on  shoulders, 
neck,  head  and  inside  of  the  ears.  All  over  the 
kingdom,  when  such  an  albino  is  found,  there  is 
great  rejoicing,  and  the  finder  is  very  handsomely 
rewarded.  They  come,  as  a rule,  from  the  Laos 
territory  to  the  north. 

The  country  whose  king  is  the  fortunate  pos- 
sessor of  one  or  more  of  these  treasures  is  thought 
to  be  greatly  blessed,  and  no  amount  of  money 
can  purchase  one.  The  royal  stables  of  Bang- 
kok are  seldom  without  an  occupant.  I have 
several  times  visited  them.  Siam  should  be  very 
prosperous  now,  as  His  Majesty  has  five  of  these 
so-called  white  elephants.  They  are  kept  in  a 
long  block  of  buildings  at  the  rear  of  the  arsenal. 
Each  one  has  an  entire  stable  for  his  own  use,  his 
grooms  and  attendants  sleeping  at  one  end  of  it. 
The  stable  is  high  and  spacious,  and  at  one  end 


WHITE  ELEPHANTS. 


135 


is  a small  image  of  Buddha  with  lamps  burning 
in  front.  Each  has  a royal  title,  and  there  is  a 
handsome  sign  over  the  door  giving  in  large  gilt 
letters  the  full  name  and  title  of  the  inmate.  The 
great  beast  stands  on  a handsomely-built  pedestal 
raised  about  a foot  from  the  floor,  with  its  top  just 
large  enough  to  hold  him.  He  has  rings  of  gold 
on  his  tusks,  and  is  fastened  by  one  fore  and  one 
hind  foot  to  gilded  posts  with  ropes  covered  with 
crimson  velvet.  These  royal  captives  are  fed 
with  bananas,  sugar-cane  and  other  dainties,  and 
with  small  bundles  of  fresh  grass,  all  carried  to 
them  on  silver  salvers  by  men  on  their  knees. 
Every  want  of  these  royal  beasts  is  carefully  at- 
tended to.  A recent  visitor  says : “ He  stands 
proudly  yet  restlessly  on  his  contracted  throne, 
and  lashes  his  trunk  and  sways  his  heavy  head 
and  tusks  around  in  an  imperious,  lordly  man- 
ner, trumpeting  now  and  then  until  the  whole 
hall  trembles  with  the  deafening  reverberation. 
When  he  is  seen  to  itch  in  any  part  of  his  body 
his  royal  hide  is  promptly  scratched  with  a small 
iron  rake-like  instrument  with  a long  handle ; 
his  eyes  are  reverently  wiped,  and  he  has  a cool 
sponge-bath  every  hour  or  two  of  day  and  night 
during  the  hot  season.” 

When  one  of  these  rare  creatures  is  found  in 
any  of  the  northern  provinces  the  governor  of 
that  province  sees  that  he  is  comfortably  escorted 
through  the  forest  to  the  river,  where  he  is  re- 


136 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


ceived  on  a handsomely-decorated  raft  of  bam- 
boos, placed  in  a canopy  in  the  centre  of  the  raft, 
garlanded  with  floAvers  and  pamjiered  with  deli- 
cacies. The  king,  with  bis  Avbole  court  in  their 
elegant  barges,  and  myriads  of  people  in  boats, 
with  banners  and  music,  go  up  the  river  two 
days’  journey  to  meet  him.  As  all  are  anxious 
to  share  the  honor  of  bringing  him  down  to  the 
city,  each  boat  has  a rope  attached  to  the  raft, 
and  shouts  of  joy  fill  the  air  as  he  progresses. 
On  arriving,  a pavilion  in  the  palace-grounds  is 
ready  to  receive  him,  a title  is  given  him  and 
slaves  appointed  to  care  for  him.  A public  fes- 
tival of  a week’s  continuance  is  appointed;  priests 
of  the  highest  grade  chant  prayers  in  his  presence 
daily.  When  sick  he  is  attended  by  the  wisest 
of  the  court  physicians ; the  priests  wait  upon 
him,  sprinkle  him  with  consecrated  water  and 
pray  for  his  recovery.  If  he  dies  there  is  uni- 
versal mourning,  and  funeral  honors  are  paid  to 
his  remains. 

One  day  a strange  procession  passed  down  the 
river  in  front  of  our  house  in  Bangkok.  There 
were  eight  large  barges,  six  of  them  with  curtains 
of  crimson  and  gold  cloth,  each  manned  by  about 
thirty  boatmen  dressed  in  red  trousers,  jackets 
and  caps.  They  had  a brass  band,  which  made 
very  mournful  music,  for  it  Avas  a funeral  occa- 
sion. The  first  impression  was  that  some  jierson- 
age  eminent  for  rank  Avas  being  borne  to  sepul- 


WHITE  ELEPHANTS. 


137 


tiire;  but  no,  this  procession  was  siin})ly  doing 
honor  to  the  dead  body  of  a light-colored  ele- 
phant. 

The  third  and  fourth  boats  had  no  gay  cur- 
tains, but  they  had  the  five-storied  umbrellas 
which  denote  great  rank,  and  between  these 
two  boats  the  corpse  was  fastened  and  floated 
in  the  water.  There  was  a canopy  of  white 
cloth  over  it  to  protect  it  from  the  sun.  Phya 
is  a title  given  to  a high  order  of  nobility  in 
Siam,  and  this  distinguished  elephant  was  named 
Phya  Sawate.  It  was  so  highly  esteemed  that 
more  than  two  hundred  men  escorted  it  to  its 
last  resting-place. 

Now,  why  such  parade  and  ceremony?  For 
the  strange  reason  that  the  Siamese,  with  all 
other  Buddhists,  believe  that  at  death  their 
spirits  pass  into  the  body  of  some  man  or  ani- 
mal, of  more  or  less  importance  according  to  the 
amount  of  merit  made  while  living,  and  that 
they  may  be  thus  born  thousands  of  times.  If 
they  find  an  elephant  of  a lighter  complexion 
than  usual,  they  think  the  spirit  of  some  dis- 
tinguished person  dwells  in  it — possibly,  that  of 
some  future  Buddha,  sure  to  bring  a blessing  on 
the  country  which  possesses  so  great  a treasure. 

We  hope  that  the  day  will  soon  come  when 
Christianity  will  supplant  Buddhism,  and  the 
Siamese  be  wise  enough  to  prize  the  elephant 
only  for  what  it  can  do  in  the  service  of  man. 


138 


SUM  AND  LAOS. 


Reception  of  a White  Elephant  at  the 
Court  of  Siam. 

A few  years  ago  two  Siamese  peasants  of  the 
up-country,  far  to  the  north,  were  ordered  by  the 
governor  of  the  province  to  go  out  into  the  jungle 
and  hunt  for  a white  elephant.  The  “ Stones,” 
or  astrologers,  having  prophesied  that  the  pres- 
ent reign  would  be  especially  lucky,  and  that 
several  of  these  spotted  or  albino  elephants 
would  be  caught,  constant  vigilance  bad  been 
enjoined  on  all  the  provincial  officials  of  these 
regions,  and  large  royal  bounty  was  promised 
to  the  finders  of  such  a prize. 

Accordingly,  leaving  their  homes  and  families, 
these  poor  men  went  out  to  live  in  the  malarious 
jungle,  wandering  hither  and  thither  for  many 
weary  weeks  in  vain,  by  day  forcing  their  way 
through  the  rank  undergrowth,  anxiously  fol- 
lowing the  tracks  of  the  wild  elephants  up  and 
down  the  streams,  living  on  the  fruit  that  grew 
on  trees  unplanted  by  man  and  the  fish  in  the 
mountain-lakes  ; at  night  bivouacking  under  the 
stars,  each  in  turn  watching  while  the  other 
slept  to  keep  up  the  great  fire  built  to  protect 
their  resting-spot  from  the  fierce  animals  prowl- 
ing about  under  the  cover  of  darkness.  Thus 
day  after  day  and  week  after  week  they  sought 
for  the  coveted  white  elephant  which  should  en- 
sure to  those  who  found  him  the  richest  reward. 

At  length,  on  the  very  point  of  giving  np  their 


WHITE  ELEPHANTS. 


139 


search  in  despair,  they  had  turned  their  faces 
homeward,  when  all  of  a sudden  a small,  beauti- 
fully-formed elephant  was  seen  at  a distance, 
drinking.  He  was  all  muddy  and  dirty,  and  at 
first  sight  appeared  darker  than  the  ordinary 
color  of  this  animal.  But  some  peculiarity  in 
the  skin  aroused  hope.  “ Let  us  creep  nearer 
and  trap  him,”  they  whispered.  This  was  an 
easy  task  to  such  skilled  native  hunters.  The 
iris  of  the  eye,  the  color  of  which  is  held  to  be  a 
good  test  of  an  albino,  encouraged  their  faint  ex- 
pectation ; it  was  a pale  Neapolitan  yellow. 

One  of  them  said,  “We  will  take  him  home 
and  give  him  a wash.”  This  was  done,  and  to 
their  great  joy  the  whole  body  proved  to  be  of  a 
pale  Bath-brick  color,  with  a few  real  white  hairs 
on  the  back.  There  could  be  no  longer  room  for 
doubt;  they  had  truly  captured  one  of  the  world- 
renowned  white  elephants.  Indeed,  competent 
experts  pronounced  it  to  be  the  “ fairest  ” ever 
caught  within  living  memory.  The  ears  and  tail 
were  beautiful ; the  hair,  the  nails,  the  eyes,  all 
were  indicative  of  the  very  highest  family.  He 
proved  a j:)ure  albino,  so-called  “ white.” 

The  whole  kingdom  was  thrown  into  a state 
of  the  wildest  excitement  as  the  news  spread  east 
and  west,  north  and  south.  Swift  runners  car- 
ried the  glad  tidings  from  hamlet  to  hamlet.  “A 
white  elephant  has  been  captured !”  was  in  every 
mouth.  A fleet  messenger  bore  the  official  docu- 


140 


67.14/  AND  LAOS. 


ineiit  with  the  formal  annoimcemeiit  down  the 
river  to  Bangkok.  The  king  loaded  his  ears 
with  gold.  Each  person  in  any  way  connected 
with  this  great  cajitnre  received  some  token  of 
royal  favor.  The  governor  of  the  province  was 
made  a phya ; the  j)Oor  finders  were  loaded  with 
honors  and  emoluments,  at  one  step  taking  their 
places  among  the  nobles  of  the  kingdom  and  re- 
ceiving royal  gifts  and  grants  of  land.  His  Ex- 
cellency the  governor  of  one  of  the  other  prov- 
inces was  despatched  with  a suite  of  high  officials 
and  attendants  skilled  in  the  management  of  ele- 
phants to  escort  this  latest  addition  to  the  royal 
stables. 

The  date  fixed  for  the  actual  reception  of  the 
royal  stranger  at  the  capital  was  June  21st,  and 
will  long  remain  a red-letter  day  in  the  Siamese 
annals.  His  IMajesty,  with  his  entire  royal  reti- 
nue, went  up  the  river  sixty  miles  to  Ayuthia, 
the  ancient  capital  of  Siam,  some  days  in  ad- 
vance, to  meet  the  illustrious  captive  regarded  as 
a palladium  for  his  own  life  and  the  prosperity 
of  the  empire.  In  magnificently-adorned  barges, 
escorting  the  noble  beast  to  the  capital  with  great 
parade,  music  and  rejoicings,  the  brilliant  jJi’Oces- 
sion  returned. 

Very  early  in  the  day  the  whole  city  was  astir. 
The  most  intense  excitement  prevailed.  If  was  a 
great  fete  occasion.  Old  and  young  in  holiday 
garb  thronged  the  verandas  of  the  floating  houses 


WHITE  ELEPHANT. 


142 


SIAM  ASD  LAOS. 


in  Bangkok.  Crowds  of  country-folk  from  miles 
around  flocked  to  the  river,  filling  the  wat- 
grounds  or  crouching  on  their  haunches  along 
the  hanks,  waiting  patiently  for  hours  to  catch  a 
passing  glimpse  of  the  new  white  elephant. 

The  deep,  wide  river  reflected  the  brilliancy 
of  the  blue  sky  overhead  and  the  innumerable 
barges  and  boats  gayly  decorated  with  bunt- 
ing ; flags  fluttered  and  gilt  pagoda-spires  glit- 
tered in  the  tropical  sunlight  above  the  mass 
of  foliage  and  monotonous  sloping  roofs  on 
either  shore. 

Near  the  palace-grounds,  as  the  time  drew 
near  for  the  procession  to  approach,  there  was 
much  running  to  and  fro, — f)fficials  on  horseback 
gallo})ing  about,  soldiers  and  marines  in  European 
uniforms  drawn  up  along  the  sides  of  the  road, 
many  carrying  streamers  or  flags.  Several  huge 
elephants  in  magnificent  trappings,  each  bearing 
on  his  back  a richly-ornamented  howdah  and 
guided  by  a gayly-dressed  carnac,  or  driver, 
were  brought  down  to  the  landing-place  to  meet 
the  royal  procession.  Near  the  bank  stood  a 
group  of  priests  and  white-robed  Brahmans 
with  tall  cone-shaped  hats  ornamented  with 
broad  gold  bands.  Princes  in  full  state  uni- 
forms were  carried  in  litters,  preceded  and  fol- 
lowed by  attendants  bearing  their  insignia  of 
official  or  social  rank — rods,  seals,  huge  gilt  um- 
brellas, betel-boxes,  teapots,  water-goblets  and  all 


WHITE  ELErilANTS. 


143 


the  ordinary  trappings  of  the  Siamese  grandee 
when  he  takes  his  walks  or  drives  abroad. 

The  national  air,  played  by  a brass  band,  her- 
alded the  approach  of  the  “ conquering  hero 
Siamese  musicians  performed  with  more  noise 
than  musical  effect  on  tomtoms,  conch-shells  and 
other  native  instruments;  heralds  and  chamber- 
lains of  the  king’s  body-guard  preceded  His  Maj- 
esty, seated  cross-legged  in  a richly-inlaid  chair, 
beneath  the  huge  royal  umbrella.  He  wore  a 
white  India  helmet,  and  numerous  jeweled  orders 
adorned  the  breast  of  his  crimson-and-gold  coat. 
Pages  followed  with  gold  betel-boxes  and  other 
costly  articles.  The  highest  grandees  of  the  king- 
dom brought  uji  tlie  rear. 

A temporary  stable  had  been  erected  for  this 
illustrious  albino  pachyderm  just  outside  the 
palace-grounds.  He  was  mounted  on  a plat- 
form, and  his  hind  leg  was  attached  by  a rope 
to  a white  post.  Here,  after  numerous  washings 
by  pouring  over  him  tamarind- water  to  cleanse 
away  all  possible  impurities,  the  new  elephant 
was  publicly  baptized  and  received  official  title 
as  a grandee  of  Siam  ; after  which  a high  priest 
fed  him  with  a piece  of  sugar-cane  on  which  was 
written  his  new  title  in  full : Phra  Sawet  Sakoula 
Warophat,  etc.,  etc.,  this  title  including  a long  de- 
scription of  the  great  dignity,  beauty,  virtues  and 
priceless  value  of  the  royal  animal.  He  was  then 
brought  into  the  palace  precincts  and  assigned  a 


144 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


royal  stable  and  numerous  attendants,  who  serve 
him  with  the  respect  shown  to  royalty  itself,  and 
generally  approach  to  feed  and  groom  him  on 
their  hands  and  knees. 

A recent  visitor  to  Bangkok  thus  describes 
him  in  his  j^resent  home : “ One  only  of  their 
number,  the  fifth  and  last  one  obtained,  is  of  a 
faint  brick-red  over  his  entire  body,  which  gives 
him  an  odd  and  not  altogether  unpleasant  appear- 
ance, He  is,  moreover,  young,  lively  and  good- 
natured,  and  salaams  by  raising  his  trunk  straight 
and  high  above  his  head  to  all  well-dressed  visit- 
ors in  a way  which  quite  scandalizes  his  keepers, 
who  have  taught  all  the  others  to  reserve  that 
salute  solely  for  the  king.  Were  he  not  himself 
too  royal  to  be  Avhipped,  I dare  say  that  this 
merry  pachyderm  might  soon  be  taught  to  recog- 
nize the  honor  reserved  to  royalists.  Time  was 
when  these  beasts  were  duly  worshiped  by  king 
and  people;  their  stables  were  palaces;  they  were 
fed  from  golden  dishes,  and  wore  heavy  gold 
rings  upon  their  tusks  and  were  fettered  with 
golden  chains.  Even  now  the  populace  fall  with 
their  heads  to  the  ground  as  they  are  led  out 
richly  caparisoned  on  state  occasions,  while  the 
royal  officers,  and  even  the  king  himself,  always 
make  them  obeisance  in  passing.” 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE  CHIXESE  IX  SIAM. 

The  Chinese  have  been  in^Siam  since  time  im- 
memorial, and  have  increased,  until  now  the 
Siamese  say  that  more  than  half  the  population 
is  Chinese. 

There  is  no  census  taken  in  this  country,  and 
even  the  government  has  no  positive  means  of 
knowing  the  number  of  inhabitants.  But  we 
may  safely  suppose  the  above  statement  to  be 
true.  The  deck  of  everv  steamer  and  sailinoj 
craft  from  China  is  swarming  with  these  ubiqui- 
tous Celestials.  In  the  year  17G7  the  Burmese 
invaded  Siam,  sacked  Ayuthia,  the  old  capital, 
and  carried  away  many  captives.  Prya-Tahk- 
sin,  a Siamo-Chinese,  rallied  the  Siamese  forces, 
defeated  the  Burmese  and  drove  them  out  of  the 
country.  He  took  the  throne,  fortified  the  town 
of  Bangkok  and  made  it  the  capital.  He  reigned 
fifteen  years,  and  was  then  defeated  by  Somdet 
Pra  Baroma  Rahchah  Pra  Pretta  Yaut  Fab,  who 
was  the  first  king  of  the  present  dynasty,  Pra- 
bat  Somdet  Pra  Paramendr-^Iaha-Chula-Lono;- 


in 


145 


146 


SfAM  ASD  LAOS. 


Korii-Klow,  the  present  sovereign,  being  the 
lifth. 

Chinese  of  wealth  often  become  favorites  Avith 
the  rulers  and  receiAm  titles  of  nobility,  and  these 
noblemen  in  return  present  their  daughters  to 


HOME  OF  RICH  CHINAMAN. 


their  majesties,  Tims  AA'e  find  Chinese  blood 
floAving  in  the  A^eins  of  the  royal  family  of  Siam. 

Although  a Chinaman  may  have  left  a Avife  in 
his  natiA’e  land,  that  does  not  prevent  his  taking 
as  many  others  as  he  can  support.  The  first 
Siamese  AAnfe  is  supreme,  and  rules  the  many- 


THE  CHINESE  IN  SIAM. 


147 


sided  household  without  opposition.  Intermar- 
riage with  the  ditfereiit  tribes  found  in  Siam  does 
not  change  to  any  extent  their  native  character- 
istics. The  children  inherit  the  same  peculiar 
traits  of  character.  They  have  the  same  almond- 
shaped  eyes  and  copper  complexion,  cultivate 
their  hair  in  queue  style,  and  wear  the  same 
fashion  of  dress  which  their  Chinese  ancestors 
wore  centuries  ago. 

The  Chinese  element  in  Siam  is  a powerful 
one.  No  other  race  can  compete  with  it,  not 
even  excepting  the  Caucasian.  We  find  the 
Chinese  in  every  department  of  business.  They 
are  extensive  ship-owners.  In  the  days  when 
Siam  had  a sailing  fleet  of  merchantmen  the 
owners  were  principally  Chinese,  as  were  also 
the  shippers  and  crews.  Even  when  command- 
ed by  a European  captain,  the  supercargo  on 
board  was  a Chinaman  and  had  chief  control. 

Since  steamships  have  been  introduced  we 
find  that  the  owners  and  agents  of  some  of  these 
are  Chinamen.  The  saw-mills  and  rice-mills 
worked  by  muscle-power  are  all  owned  by  Chi- 
nese, and  since  the  introduction  of  steam-mills 
they  are  not  slow  to  adopt  these  modern  im- 
provements, so  that  now  several  steam  saw-mills 
and  rice-mills  are  owned  by  enterprising  China- 
men. When  business  was  dull  and  Europeans 
stopped  their  mills,  the  Chinese  kept  theirs 
running.  One  reason  for  this  is  that  the  Chi- 


14H 


67.1.1/  .LVD  LAOS. 


iiese  can  live  more  clieajily  than  Europeans,  and 
are  satisfied  with  smaller  profits. 

They  are  our  gardeners,  shopkeepers,  carpen- 
ters, bricklayers,  tailors,  sailors,  shoemakers, 
blacksmiths,  fishermen  and  washermen.  All  the 
mills  employ  Chinese  coolies ; all  cargo-boats  for 
loading  and  unloading  ships  are  manned  by  these 
coolies.  Europeans  prefer  the  Chinese  for  ser- 
vants: they  are  cleanly  and  quick  to  learn,  fru- 
gal in  their  habits,  utilizing  everything.  In  the 
possession  of  all  these  traits  the}-  stand  alone 
amidst  surrounding  tribes. 

But  the  curse  of  opium-smoking  and  shamshu- 
drinkins:  has  followed  them  to  this  siiiinv  land, 
and  makes  shipwreck  of  many  thousands  of  lives 
annually.  AVhen  they  once  become  addicted  to 
the  use  of  opium  they  neglect  their  business  and 
families  and  spend  every  cent  they  can  find  or 
steal  for  the  poisonous  drug,  and  finally,  in  a 
crazed  state,  their  bodies  mere  skeletons,  they  lie 
down  and  die  or  put  an  end  to  their  own  lives. 

Change  of  climate,  scene  and  associations  has 
no  appreciable  effect  on  the  disposition  of  a 
Chinaman.  He  still  retains  his  acquisitive,  iras- 
cible and  turbulent  temperament.  The  Chinese 
herd  together  in  little  rooms,  perhaps  a score  of 
them  eating,  working  and  sleejnng  in  one  little 
room  in  which  a white  man  would  die  of  suffoca- 
tion. They  are  very  clannish  too,  the  natives  of 
each  province  holding  together  and  working  to 


THE  CHINESE  IN  SIAM. 


149 


promote  the  interests  of  their  own  particular 
clan.  They  have  frequent  quarrels  with  the 
natives  of  other  provinces. 

Some  time  ago  there  was  quite  a serious  quar- 
rel between  certain  clans.  The  trouble  is  said  to 
have  originated  with  the  Ang  Yees,  a secret  soci- 
ety. They  resorted  to  knives  and  firearms,  and  a 
number  were  killed.  The  government  took  the 
matter  up  and  decapitated  several  of  them,  which 
j)ut  a quietus  upon  the  others  for  the  time. 

The  Chinese  are  very  daring.  There  are  or- 
ganized bands  of  robbers,  who  go  up  and  down 
the  river  robbing  boats  and  breaking  into  native 
houses,  and  committing  murder  in  some  cases 
Avhere  resistance  is  offered.  One  house  in  the 
very  shadow  of  the  palace  was  entered  and  a 
large  sum  of  money  taken.  The  ringleaders 
were  caught  and  beheaded,  and  the  people  are 
now  feeling  more  secure  in  life  and  property. 

The  Chinese  are  inveterate  gamblers.  Much 
of  the  hard-earned  Avages  of  the  laboring  classes 
is  lost  in  the  gambling  dens.  The  gambling  es- 
tablishments are  all  in  the  hands  of  the  Chinese. 
Gambling,  like  many  other  things  in  Siam,  is  a 
monopoly,  and  the  government  sells  to  the  high- 
est bidder  the  privilege  of  licensing  and  control- 
ling all  such  establishments  in  the  country.  He 
has  the  right  to  arrest  and  punish  all  those  who 
infringe  upon  his  privileges.  Men,  women  and 
little  children  all  frequent  the  gambling-places. 


150 


SIAM  A IS  I)  LAOS. 


Cards  and  dice  are  both  used.  The  lottery  mo- 
nopoly is  also  in  the  hands  of  the  Chinese. 

Every  Chinaman  must  }>ay  a triennial  poll-tax 
of  two  dollars  and  seventy-live  cents.  As  a proof 
that  this  tax  has  been  paid  they  must  wear  a cord 
around  the  wrist  fastened  with  the  gum  of  a cer- 
tain tree  and  stamped  with  the  government  seal. 
A great  many  try  to  evade  this  law  by  keeping 
in  retirement  until  the  time  for  taxation  is 
passed.  The  Siamese  captives  are  liable  at  any 
time  to  be  called  upon  to  do  government  work, 
and  to  escape  it  they  sometimes  wear  the  queue. 
A lad  on  onr  premises  who  had  worn  the  queue 
for  years  decided  to  have  it  cut  off,  and  when 
asked  why  he  did  so  replied,  “I  hear  the  Siamese 
are  requiring  every  one  wearing  the  queue  to  give 
in  the  Chinese  language  the  different  parts  of  a 
pig;  as  I could  not  do  that,  I had  my  queue  cut 
off.”  If  the  story  is  true,  it  Avas  a happy  thought 
of  the  Siamese.  The  Chinese  are  the  pork-raisers 
of  Siam,  and  could  easily  meet  the  test. 

Most  of  the  villages  on  the  gulf  coast  are  in- 
habited by  Chinese  fishermen.  Those  living  near 
the  mouth  of  the  Menam  Chowphya  bring  the 
products  of  the  sea  to  the  Bangkok  market  at 
all  seasons  of  the  year,  Avhilst  those  on  the  oppo- 
site side  must  consult  the  Avinds  and  tides.  Every- 
thing, from  a sea-slug  to  a porpoise,  is  caught  and 
sold  in  the  market.  As  their  fish-boats  have  to 
travel  at  least  thirty  miles,  it  is  necessai-y  to  make 


CHINESE  BOAT-PEOPLE. 


152 


57.1.1/  .l.N7>  7.105'. 


ail  early  start,  and  in  order  to  arrive  here  for  tlie 
morning  market  they  most  probably  toil  all  night. 

Most  of  the  Chinese  who  die  here  are  buried, 
hut  some  are  cremated.  The  disposition  of  the 
body  rests  altogether  with  the  wife  and  children 

V o 


CHINESE  CEMETERY. 

of  the  deceased.  Very  many,  however,  return  to 
their  native  land,  after  amassing  a good  pile  of 
Mexican  dollars,  to  lay  their  hones  in  the  ances- 
tral burying-ground,  where  their  s])irits  may  be 
worshiped  in  turn  by  their  descendants. 


THE  CHINESE  IN  SIAM. 


153 


Although  the  different  provinces  in  China 
have  their  own  peculiar  superstitions  and  cus- 
toms, yet  when  they  come  here  they  assimilate 
to  a certain  degree.  Every  three  or  four  years 
some  person  turns  uj)  who  claims  that  the  spirit 
of  their  god  has  entered  into  him,  and  he  is  put 
through  the  crucial  test  of  sitting  on  iron  spikes 
and  sharp  swords,  having  needles  thrust  into  his 
cheeks  and  his  tongue  cut.  That  one  who  can 
obtain  an  inscription  written  with  the  blood  from 
the  tongue  is  considered  highly  favored.  If  he 
can  endnre  all  this  torture  unflinchingly,  his 
claim  is  considered  genuine.  They  then  prepare 
for  a grand  procession  by  laud  or  water.  If  on 
the  river,  the  god  is  seated  on  a throne  in  a gayly- 
decorated  boat,  accompanied  by  a long  line  of 
boats  with  flags,  banners  and  streamers  flying 
and  gongs  beating.  The  Chinese  love  dearly  to 
“ strike  the  loud  cymbal.”  These  occasions  are 
to  Young  China  what  the  Fourth  of  July  is  to 
Yonng  America,  a time  of  flre-erackers  and  deaf- 
ening noises.  The  more  grotesquely  the  occu- 
pants of  the  boats  are  dressed  the  more  imposing 
the  ceremony. 

The  wealthy  classes  build  very  pleasant,  com- 
fortable brick  houses.  The  walls  of  the  verandas 
are  decorated  with  flowei’ing  plants  and  shrub- 
bery placed  in  fancy  Chinese  flower-pots.  The 
indispensable  Chinese  lantern  is  suspended  from 
the  roof  of  the  veranda.  In  the  interior  of  the 


154 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


house  you  will  find  the  shrine  of  the  household 
god,  and  over  it  is  placed  a number  of  fancy-col- 
ored and  gilt  papers  containing  inscriptions,  per- 
haps the  daily  petitions  or  prayers  of  the  house- 
hold. 

The  Chinese  are  a religious  people,  every  house 
having  its  altar.  But  “their  rock  is  not  as  our 
Rock,  themselves  being  judges.”  At  sundown 
they  will  burn  gilt  paper  and  incense-sticks  to 
Joss,  and  turn  in  the  midst  of  their  devotions 
and  curse  a Euroj)ean,  calling  him  a “ white 
devil.”  We  have  been  accustomed  from  child- 
hood to  think  of  the  “ father  of  lies”  as  a very 
black  spirit,  and  it  seems  very  strange  to  us  to 
have  these  dusky  faces  call  him  ivhite. 

The  furniture  of  some  of  these  houses  is  very 
handsome.  The  same  black,  straight-backed  set- 
tees and  chairs  seen  everywhere  in  China  are 
here,  some  of  them  handsomely  inlaid  with 
ivory,  mother-of-pearl  and  fine  porcelain. 

The  Chinese  are  a polite  people  too.  If  you 
visit  them  in  their  homes,  and  they  have  been  ac- 
customed to  mingle  with  Europeans,  they  will  offer 
you  their  hand  or  will  chin-chin,  bowing  very 
low  and  shaking  their  own  hands.  You  are  in- 
vited to  sit  down,  and  a cup  of  excellent  tea  in 
its  purity  is  offered  in  the  daintiest  of  cups.  One 
is  tempted  to  covet  some  of  those  beautiful  table- 
covers,  screens  or  fans,  all  so  richly  embroidered 
in  bright-colored  silks.  Some  of  the  fans  are 


PAPER  PRAYERS. 


lo6 


.S7.1.1/  -l.Vi)  LAOS. 


PARLOR  OF  CIIIXE.se  HOUSE. 

wliite  silk,  witli  birds  and  flowers  painted  on 
tlieni. 

“ But  small  the  bliss  that  sense  alone  bestows, 

And  sensual  bliss  is  all  the  nation  knows  ; 

In  florid  beauty  ^rovas  and  fields  appear  : 

^lan  seems  the  only  growth  that  dwindles  here.” 

In  tlie  cool  of  the  evenino-  the  Avorkin^  classes 

O O 

gather  in  groups  round  the  doors  of  their  houses, 


THE  CHINESE  IN  SIAM. 


157 


talking,  laughing  and  smoking.  One  of  the  num- 
ber is  perhaps  entertaining  the  others  with  music 
on  a little  instrument  resembling  a violin.  But 
there  is  no  music  in  it.  If  the  reader  would  like 
to  reproduce  the  sound,  let  him  try  drawing  the 
bow  over  the  violin-strings  back  and  forth  in  a 
seesaw  manner  for  an  hour  or  two  at  a time,  and 
he  will  have  a flint  idea  of  the  distracting  sounds 
drawn  from  the  tortured  instrument.  There  is 
not  the  slightest  approach  to  melody. 

The  scantily-clad  coolie  is  not  aesthetic,  but  as 
a nation  the  Chinese  are  very  much  so.  If  they 
have  the  means  they  surround  themselves  with 
beautiful  things,  such  as  silk,  embroideries,  paint- 
ings, carving  in  ivory,  lacquer-ware,  mosaics,  birds 
and  flowers.  Their  ladies  paint  their  faces  to  look 
beautiful.  But  these  stay  in  their  native  land ; a 
Chinese  woman  is  rarely  seen  in  Siam. 

See  that  group  of  Chinamen  who  have  been 
invited  to  a party  given  by  the  foreign  minister 
on  the  king’s  birthday.  They  walk  up  and  down 
through  the  drawing-room  and  halls,  so  that  we 
have  a fine  opportunity  for  seeing  them  in  full' 
dress.  Thin  loose  trousers  of  blue  silk,  almost 
concealed  by  a robe  of  elegant  silk  richly  em- 
broidered, a cape  of  the  same  covering  the 
shoulders ; Chinese  slippers  embroidered  and 
turned  up  at  the  toes ; a hat  (which  they  wear 
all  the  evening)  resembling  a butter-bowl ; and, 
to  complete  the  grand  toilette,  they  flourish  ex- 


158 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


quisite  fans  in  silk  and  ivory.  They  make  fre- 
quent visits  to  the  refreshment-room,  and  seem 
to  enjoy  the  good  things  provided. 

]\Iany  of  those  coming  here  from  China  can- 
not swim  a stroke,  and  yet  tliey  will  venture  out 
on  the  river  in  a little  boat,  perhaps  a leaky  sam- 
pan, which  they  do  not  know  how  to  manage,  or 
they  will  crowd  into  a larger  boat  until  it  is 
weighed  down  to  the  water’s  edge,  scarcely  leav- 
ing room  to  use  the  paddles.  In  this  condition 
they  will  attempt  to  cross  the  river  when  it  is 
very  rough  and  dangerous.  Perhaps  they  will 
reach  the  oj)posite  shore  safely,  or,  becoming  ex- 
cited, they  lose  all  presence  of  mind,  and,  scream- 
ing and  shouting  at  one  another,  completely  de- 
moralized, they  are  carried  by  the  swiftly-flowing 
current  upon  the  anchor-chain  of  some  vessel 
lying  in  the  river  ; the  boat  is  upset  and  they  are 
left  struggling  in  deep  water.  Some  of  them  may 
succeed  in  getting  hold  of  the  chain  or  rope  and 
cling  to  it  until  rescued,  whilst  others  are  carried 
under  the  ship  by  the  strong  current,  and  are 
never  again  seen  alive.  Like  most  heathen,  they 
are  fatalists,  and  it  would  seem  sometimes  as  if 
they  sought  death,  from  their  persistently  reck- 
less manner  when  danger  threatens  them.  They 
will  run  their  little  boats  across  the  bow  of  large 
boats,  even  steamers,  and,  as  they  are  probably 
moving  with  the  current,  a collision  is  almost  in- 
evitable. It  is  no  unusual  thing  to  see  the  bodies 


THE  CHINESE  IN  SLUL 


159 


of  Chinamen  floating  up  and  down  at  the  mercy 
of  the  ebbing  and  flowing  tides,  until  Anally  they 
reach  the  sea  and  disappear  for  ever 

There  is  a superstition  that  if  you  rescue  any 
one  from  drowning  the  water-siurits  will  resent 
the  interference  and  claim  at  some  future  time 
the  rescuer  as  a substitute ; hence  the  stolidity 
and  indifference  in  Siam  about  rescuing  the 
drowning.  New  missionaries  are  always  startled 
to  see  a boatload  of  people  upset  in  the  river,  and 
shocked  that  none  of  the  people  in  the  other  boats 
attempt  to  offer  any  assistance. 

As  gardeners  the  Chinese  are  very  successfnl, 
and  when  we  consider  the  few  rude  implements 
they  have  to  work  with  it  is  wonderful  that  they 
succeed  so  well.  Their  spade  is  not  much  larger 
than  a man’s  hand,  with  a short  straight  handle 
— no  head  to  hold  by  nor  rest  for  the  foot;  con- 
sequently, all  the  force  used  in  digging  must 
come  from  the  shoulders  and  arms.  The  sickle 
is  similar  to  that  used  in  many  parts  of  Europe 
at  the  present  day ; the  plough,  drawn  by  oxen, 
does  not  differ  perhaps  in  any  respect  from  the 
one  the  prophet  Elisha  left  to  follow  Elijah. 

The  Chinese  do  not  cultivate  the  paddy-fields 
to  any  great  extent,  but  buy  the  rice  from  the 
producers  and  bring  it  to  the  Bangkok  market. 
The  sert-leaf,  which  is  used  so  extensively  in 
Siam,  is  cultivated  in  the  betel-gardens.  It  is 
a vine  trained  on  poles,  and  the  leaf,  which  is  a 


160 


67, LV  LAOS. 


bright  green,  tender  and  juicy,  resembles  the  leaf 
of  the  morning-glory  vine,  and  is  cultivated  with 
great  care.  Decayed  fish  is  used  as  a fertilizer, 
and  consequently  the  breezes  which  blow  over 
these  gardens  are  not  “ spicy  breezes,”  but,  on 
the  contrary,  very  offensive,  obliging  one  in  j)ass- 
ing  to  suspend  respiration  for  a time.  The  leaves 
are  picked  when  young  and  tied  up  in  bundles, 
and  carried  round  for  sale  in  little  boats.  This 
leaf,  covered  with  a jjink  lime  paste  and  a little 
tobacco  and  betel-nut  added,  is  rolled  up  cross- 
wise and  chewed.  The  consequence  is,  their  teeth 
are  black  as  coal  and  the  mouth  is  always  full  of 
red  saliva,  which  runs  out  of  the  mouth  over  the 
chin,  and  is  almost  as  disgusting  as  the  practice 
of  tobacco-chewing  amongst  Americans. 

The  Presbyterians  have  done  no  special  work 
amongst  the  Chinese  projier  in  Siam.  There 
are  a number  of  elderly  Chinamen  in  the  mis- 
sion churches,  but  many  of  the  male  members 
are  Siamo-Chinese.  In  the  mission  boarding- 
school  for  boys  more  than  half  the  number  are 
sons  of  Chinamen,  and  they  are  the  brightest  and 
most  encouraging  pupils.  Many  of  the  mission- 
aries hold  the  opinion  that  China  proper  is  the 
legitimate  field  in  which  to  teach  Christianity  to 
the  Chinese.  It  is  very  difficult  to  get  educated 
Chinese  teachers  in  Siam. 

The  Rev.  Wm.  Dean,  D.  D.,  was  the  first  mis- 
sionary to  the  Chinese  in  Siam.  lie  was  sent  out 


THE  CHINESE  IN  SIAM. 


161 


by  the  Baptist  Association,  and  arrived  in  Bang- 
kok July  18,  1835.  This  venerable  father,  now 
in  his  seventy-seventh  year,  is  still  doing  active 
service  for  the  Master  in  this  part  of  his  vine- 
yard. He  stood  alone  for  many  years,  but  re- 
cently he  has  been  reinforced  by  the  arrival  of 
the  Bev.  L.  A.  Eaton. 

The  Chinese  all  learn  enough  of  the  Siamese 
language  to  make  themselves  understood,  and 
they  can  get  a saving  knowledge  of  the  truth 
through  the  medium  of  the  Siamese  language 
if  their  hearts  are  so  inclined.  Already  both 
Siamese  and  Chinese  in  Siam  are  accepting  the 
gospel,  so  that  we  see  the  dawn  of  that  glorious 
time  promised  when  “the  heathen”  will  “be 
given  as  an  inheritance,  and  the  uttermost  parts 
of  the  earth  for  a possession”  to  Christ. 

11 


PART  II. 


VARIETIES  OF  SIAMESE  LIFE. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

A SLl.VESE  WEDDING. 

1 N a Siamese  home,  which  stood  in  the  mids't 
^ of  most  beautiful  fruit-gardens,  where  the 
rosy-cheeked  pomegranate  nodded  and  played 
hide-and-seek  among  its  leaves  with  the  purple 
mangosteen,  and  the  fragrant  blossoms  of  the 
luscious  mango  pelted  and  showered  themselves 
down  upon  the  thorny  durian,  and  the  tall  cocoa- 
nut  frowned  loftily  on  the  graceful  waving  leaves 
of  the  banana, — in  such  a lovely  spot,  amidst 
singing  birds  and  fragrant  flowers  and  most  glo- 
rious  sunshine,  about  twenty  years  ago  a little 
baby  girl  was  born. 

When  the  dear  little  stranger  first  opened  her 
eyes  she  saw  only  gloom  and  smoke.  A Siamese 
infant  is  not  carefully  bathed  by  gentle  hands, 
and  dressed  in  softest,  purest  linen,  and  laid  in 
the  clean  white  bed  beside  the  mother,  who  gath- 
ers it  close  in  her  arms  and  thanks  God  for  such 


162 


.4  SIAMESE  WEDDiyG. 


163 


a treasure.  No ; this  new-born  babe  w’as  first 
well  rubbed  with  a red  and  yellow  powder,  and 
strings  with  a silver  coin  attached  were  tied 
around  her  wrists  and  ankles ; then,  being 
wrapped  in  some  pieces  of  their  dirty,  worn- 
out  waist-cloths,  she  was  put  on  a cotton  pillow 
under  a round  framework,  something  the  shape 
of  a bird-cage,  covered  with  dark  muslin.  Baby 
and  cage  were  then  set  away  in  a corner  of  the 
hot,  close  room,  where  the  mother,  as  Siamese 
custom  requires,  was  lying  on  a bare  board  be- 
fore four  or  five  smoking  firebrands,  and,  as  the 
house  had  no  chimney,  of  course  the  room  was 
filled  with  smoke.  The  little  brown  baby  was 
looked  at  occasionally,  and  brought  to  the  mother 
to  be  nursed,  and  she  was  bathed  once  or  twice  a 
day  by  having  tepid  water  poured  over  her  with 
the  hands,  and  whilst  the  skin  was  still  wet 
rubbed  over  with  the  turmeric  powder  and  soft- 
ened chalk.  She  was  also  fed  wdth  the  fingers, 
the  food  being  boiled  rice  mixed  with  mashed 
bananas. 

What  would  you  think  to  see  a baby  not  a 
week  old  put  into  a smoke-house  and  fed  on  rice 
and  scraped  apple?  Well,  as  might  be  expected, 
many  of  these  little  brown  babies  die.  Never- 
theless, this  little  one  lived  through  all,  and  as 
the  days  and  months  and  years  went  by  grew  up 
into  a pretty  little  girl,  and,  being  the  youngest 
of  the  children,  was  petted  by  all  the  family  like 


1G4 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


many  a winsome  darling  in  our  own  Christian 
land, 

I do  not  know  much  about  the  earliest  years 
of  Leang,  save  that  she  lived  most  of  the  day  out 
of  doors  among  the  flowers  and  fruit  trees;  and 
I think  she  must  have  had  the  birds  for  her 
companions,  for  her  merry  laugh  always  re- 
minded one  of  their  carols.  When  I first  met 
Leang  she  w'as  a bright  child  of  six  or  seven 
summers,  for  the  year  in  Siam  is  one  long  bright 
summer.  She  had  soft  black  eyes,  and  hair  that 
was  black  also,  but  all  shaven  off  except  one  little 
place  on  the  top  of  her  head,  where  it  had  been 
allowed  to  grow  long,  and  was  worn  twisted  into 
a tight,  smooth  knot  fastened  by  a long  gold  pin, 
the  head  of  which  was  as  large  as  the  end  of  your 
thumb  and  set  full  of  precious  stones. 

She  was  very  friendly,  and  often  visited  at  the 
house  of  one  of  our  missionaries  who  lived  near 
her  bamboo  hut,  and  when  Mrs.  House  started  a 
school  for  children  on  her  veranda  Leang  was 
invited  to  join  them.  Here  she  learned  to  sing, 
read,  write  and  sew.  lii  later  years  she  joined 
the  church,  and  was  often  in  our  family  and 
much  loved  for  her  winning  ways. 

When  Leang  was  about  seventeen  years  old 
her  parents  thought  it  time  for  the  maiden  to  be 
married.  In  Siam  when  a man  wants  a wife  he 
gets  two  or  three  elderly  persons  who  are  friends 
of  the  maiden’s  parents  to  intercede  for  him  and 


A SIAMESi:  WEDDLYG. 


165 


offer  a certain  sum  of  money  for  her,  and  often, 
whether  she  is  willing  or  not,  the  daughter  is 
married  to  the  one  who  will  pay  the  highest 
price. 

Leang’s  parents  received  an  offer  from  a 
wealthy  Chinaman  who  had  already  two  or 
more  wives,  but,  attracted  by  her  pretty  face, 
wanted  this  young  girl — not  because  he  loved 
her,  but  to  add  a new  ornament  to  his  harem. 
He  was  a heathen,  much  older  than  herself,  and 
the  girl’s  heart  had  long  been  in  the  keeping  of 
a young  Siamese  Christian  who  had  met  her  in 
the  mission-house,  where  he  also  visited.  Her 
parents  scolded,  took  away  her  ornaments,  beat 
her  and  threatened  banishment  from  home,  but 
Leang  refused  to  marry  the  Chinaman.  At 
length,  after  a long  period  of  trial  and  waiting, 
wdiich  perhaps  only  strengthened  their  love,  the 
young  Siamese  won  the  reluctant  consent  of  her 
parents  to  marry  their  daughter. 

And  now  perhaps  you  think  it  is  time  to  pre- 
pare for  the  wedding.  No,  not  yet.  The  Siam- 
ese have  a superstition  that  persons  born  in  cer- 
tain years  are  incompatible  with  each  other.  For 
instance,  if  one  were  born  in  the  “ year  of  the 
Dog”  and  another  in  the  “year  of  the  Rat,”  or 
one  in  the  “ year  of  the  Cow”  and  the  other  in 
the  “ year  of  the  Tiger,”  they  would  not  live 
happily  together.  The  matter  is  accordingly  re- 
ferred to  some  fortune-teller,  who  for  a small  fee 


166 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


generally  pronounces  no  difficulty  is  in  the  way. 
The  matter  of  birthdays  being  settled  favorably, 
the  elders  make  another  call  for  a further  discus- 
sion of  the  preliminaries.  They  say,  “ Since  birth- 
days do  not  interfere,  what  shall  be  said  about  the 
usual  stock  for  the  young  couple  to  commence  life 
upon,  and  the  money  for  the  building  of  a house?” 
for,  according  to  Siamese  custom,  the  bridegroom 
puts  up  the  house  on  the  premises  of  the  bride’s 
parents,  and  as  near  the  old  home  as  possible,  so 
that  it  is  almost  one  family.  When  a Siamese 
has  several  daughters  married  and  gathered  thus 
around  the  old  homestead,  there  is  quite  a little 
family  settlement.  In  reply  to  this  inquiry  of 
the  elders  the  girl’s  parents  will  probably  answer, 
“We  are  not  rich  and  not  able  to  give  our  daugh- 
ter much  of  a dowry.  How  is  it  with  the  parents 
of  the  young  man  ? What  will  they  do  for  their 
son  ?”  The  elders  reply,  “ It  depends  upon  your- 
selves.” The  parents  then  suggest  that  a certain 
sum  be  appropriated  for  the  building  of  the 
house,  and  name  another  sum  for  mutual  trade; 
and  it  is  agreed  that  they  contribute  areca-nut, 
red  lime,  seri-leaf,  cakes  and  so  forth  for  the  wed- 
ding-feast. The  plan  of  the  new  house  and  the 
number  of  the  rooms  are  also  specified. 

The  elders  then  return  and  report  to  the  pa- 
rents of  the  young  man,  and  if  they  are  satisfied 
a bargain  is  made  and  accepted  by  both  parties. 

All  these  matters  being  favoral)ly  settled  in 


A SIAMESE  WEDDIXG. 


167 


the  ease  of  our  young  people,  Leang’s  parents 
hastened  to  consult  the  astrologers  in  referenee 
to  a propitious  day  for  the  wedding,  and  the 
young  man  engaged  workmen  to  build  the  house, 
whieh  did  not  take  long  nor  cost  much. 

During  all  these  months  the  lovers  seldom 
met.  For  the  Siamese  young  men  and  maidens 
there  are  no  moonlight  drives  and  walks,  no 
pleasant  tete-fi-tetes,  no  exchange  of  love’s 
sweetest  tokens,  during  courtship.  They  are 
carefully  watched,  and  kept  apart  as  much  as 
possible.  But  by  some  of  the  thousand  ways 
in  which  love  ever  makes  itself  known  they 
knew  that  each  was  true  to  the  other,  and 
waited  patiently.  Meanwhile  the  bamboo  house 
grew  in  the  hands  of  the  workmen  day  by  day, 
until  the  sound  of  the  saw  and  hammer  was  no 
longer  heard,  and  the  home  was  pronounced 
finished  and  ready  to  he  set  in  order  for  the 
young  couple. 

The  wedding-day  hastened  on ; the  guests 
were  all  invited,  and  the  birds  twittering 
among  the  trees  seemed  to  sympathize  with  the 
maiden  who  had  lived  among  them  from  her 
earliest  childhood,  and  to  carol  joyously,  “Come, 
haste  to  the  wedding.” 

The  little  house  wjls  festooned  with  the  broad, 
graceful  leaves  of  the  banana  and  adorned  with 
the  tall  green  stalks  of  the  sugar-cane,  symbol- 
ical of  peace  and  fruitfulness.  Flowers  and  fj  uits 


168 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


were  arranged  in  fantastic  designs  on  the  walls, 
bright-colored  cloth  was  gracefully  draped  as  cur- 
tains and  screens ; all  things  were  ready  and  at- 
tractive in  the  new  home. 

The  ceremonies  of  a Siamese  Avedding  consist 
largely  of  feasting.  This  feast  of  fruits  and 
cakes  and  sweetmeats  is  spread  on  mats  upon 
the  grass  among  the  trees  and  flowers,  and  the 
hosts  await  the  arilval  of  the  guests. 

By  and  by  the  sound  of  tabret  and  pipe  and 
bands  of  music  heralds  the  coming  of  a sort 
of  procession.  As  the  Siamese  always  Avalk  in 
single  file,  one  by  one  they  came — the  musi- 
cians with  their  oddly-shaped  instruments,  old 
men  and  women,  young  men,  maidens  and  chil- 
dren— all  gayly  dressed  in  holiday  attire,  some 
bearing  trays  containing  gifts  for  the  bride  and 
her  parents,  and  others  with  offerings  of  fruit, 
cakes  and  confections  to  contribute  to  the  already 
generously  prepared  wedding-feast  in  the  fruit- 
garden. 

Out  among  her  youthful  friends,  serving  at  the 
feast  and  bearing  trays  here  and  there  among  the 
guests — who  are  seated  in  groups  on  the  grass, 
like  the  multitude  fed  by  our  Lord  in  Judea  so 
long  ago — flits  the  pretty  bride.  Although  her 
face  is  brown,  the  rosy  blush  is  plainly  seen  on 
her  cheeks  as  she  finds  the  eyes  of  her  lover 
seeking  constantly  her  own. 

The  bridegroom  sits  apart  from  the  women, 


A SIAMBS-K  WEDDING. 


169 


among  his  young  men  attendants,  and  has  not 
been  near  enough  to  extend  a tender  pressure  of 
the  hand,  nor  would  he  dare  to  olfend  the  Siam- 
ese ideas  of  propriety,  for,  although  she  is  so 
nearly  his  own,  a slight  breach  of  etiquette  on 
his  part  might  blast  his  hopes. 

Conversation  flows  on,  the  sound  of  merry 
voices  telling  of  happiness  and  good-will.  All 
have  been  served,  and  the  feast  is  over.  The 
money  has  been  brought  forward  and  counted 
by  reliable  persons  and  found  correct.  Both 
sums  are  then  thrown  together  and  sprinkled 
with  rice,  scented  oil  and  flowers,  symbolic  of 
blessings  craved  for  the  young  couple.  It  is 
then  handed  over  to  the  parents  of  the  bride  for 
safe-keeping. 

The  wedding-gifts  have  been  formally  pre- 
sented and  duly  admired.  Siamese  wedding- 
gifts  are  few  and  simple.  Many  of  the  utensils 
in  use  among  them  are  quite  primitive  in  style 
— unglazed  earthen  pots  for  cooking  purposes ; 
brazen  vessels,  trays,  cups  and  spoons  or  small 
ladles ; heavy  wooden  buckets  and  baskets  daubed 
within  and  without  with  pitch,  used  for  carrying 
water ; common  porcelain  bowls  for  holding  their 
rice  and  vegetables  at  meals, — no  knives,  no  forks, 
no  spoons,  such  as  young  housekeepers  need  with 
us.  As  they  have  little  that  is  ornamental  in  an 
ordinary  home,  the  wedding-gifts  are  always  use- 
ful articles. 


170 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


The  afternoon  is  now  far  spent  and  the  hum 
of  many  voices  is  somewhat  subdued.  The  band 
strikes  up  a sort  of  wedding-march.  The  groom, 
attired  in  jilum-colored  silk  p’anoong  and  a 
neatly-fitting  white  muslin  jacket,  rises,  and, 
leaving  the  group,  attended  by  his  young 
friends,  dressed  in  the  same  style,  bare-legged 
and  bare-headed,  walks  toward  the  neighboring 
house  of  the  American  missionary.  At  a respect- 
ful distance  follow  .some  of  the  matrons,  aged 
women  and  maidens.  Amid  them,  like  a gay 
butterfly,  dressed  in  a red  and  yellow  silk  waist- 
cloth,  a brilliant  green  silk,  tight-fitting  jacket 
and  a fire-colored  silk  scarf  thrown  gracefully 
over  her  shoulders,  Avalks  the  young  bride — no 
shoes  or  stockings,  no  hat  nor  veil  to  hide  her 
pretty  blushes.  The  guests  all  go  up  through 
the  veranda  into  the  house,  where  they  are  wel- 
comed by  the  missionary.  Chairs  are  offered, 
but  many  prefer  to  crouch  on  the  floor,  as  they 
have  never  been  elevated  above  it  in  all  their 
lives.  The  Christian  marriage  that  follows  is  a 
novel  episode  to  many  present.  At  a Siamese 
wedding  the  Buddhist  priests  come  to  the  house 
and  chant  jirayers  for  the  benefit  of  the  young 
coujile.  The  parents  of  the  bride  and  bride- 
groom and  all  the  guests  vie  with  each  other  in 
their  attention  to  these  priests,  who  receive  gifts 
also.  The  young  couple  are  copiou.sly  bathed 
witli  holy  water,  poured  l)v  the  elders  first  on 


MISSION  HOUSE. 


172 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


the  head  of  the  bridegroom,  then  on  the  head 
of  the  bride,  pronouncing  a blessing  upon  each. 
This  of  course  necessitates  a change  of  wet  ap- 
parel for  dry,  usually  more  gay  than  the  former, 
the  fresh  suit  for  the  bridegroom  being  frequently 
presented  him  on  a salver  by  a lad  sent  from  the 
parents  of  the  bride. 

But  to  return  to  our  young  couple.  After  re- 
peating with  clasped  hands  their  vows  to  love, 
cherish,  honor  and  live  with  one  another  until 
death,  the  missionary  pronounces  the  blessing 
and  congratulations  are  offered  by  their  friends. 
The  parties  then  separate,  and  in  like  manner  as 
they  came  to  the  house  so  they  go  back  to  their 
guests  in  the  garden. 

The  feasting  continues  if  this  is  a propitious 
day,  closing  in  the  evening.  Oftentimes,  how- 
ever, the  ceremonies  are  kept  up  until  the  third 
and  fourth  day.  Soft  eyes  look  love  to  eyes 
which  dare  not  speak  again,  for  the  Siamese 
dames  and  grandames  are  lynx-eyed  and  the 
maidens  are  shy ; yet  Cupid  will  not  be  out- 
witted, and  his  darts  fly  thick  and  fast  at  such 
a feast.  Still,  the  bridegroom  must  content  him- 
self with  an  occasional  glance  as  Leang  flits  in 
and  out  among  her  guests.  When  the  twilight  has 
waned  and  the  full  clear  moon  transforms  every- 
thing into  silvery  beauty,  preparations  are  made 
for  the  torchlight  procession  to  conduct  the 
bridegroom  and  bride  to  the  new  home.  You 


A SIAMESE  WEDDIXG. 


173 


remember  the  parable  of  the  Ten  Virgins  in  the 
NeAV  Testament : “At  midnight  there  was  a cry 
made,  Behold  the  bridegroom  cometh!”  After 
somewhat  the  same  manner  is  this  procession 
formed.  The  torches  used  are  made  of  pitch 
rolled  into  small  sticks  about  two  feet  long  and 
wrapped  round  with  the  dried  attap-leaf. 

The  groom’s  attendants  escort  him  with  lighted 
torches  to  his  new  home,  and  at  the  same  time  a 
lad  is  despatched  by  the  bride  bearing  a tray  of 
the  areca-nut,  with  all  its  concomitants,  ready  for 
chewing,  tobacco,  seri-leaf,  red  lime  and  soft  wax 
for  the  lips.  The  happy  man  meets  them  at  the 
door,  and,  placing  the  tray  before  them,  invites 
them  to  partake. 

After  an  interval  two  or  three  matrons,  with 
Leang’s  maiden  attendants,  light  their  torches, 
and  the  little  bride,  shy  and  trembling,  but  with 
her  heart  full  of  her  happiness,  is  in  her  turn 
escorted  to  the  little  home,  where  the  youth- 
ful husband,  engaged  in  merry  conversation 
with  his  friends,  is  impatiently  awaiting  her 
arrival. 

All  sit  down  in  the  veranda,  the  maidens 
apart  from  the  men.  The  tray  with  the  betel- 
nut  is  passed  to  them,  and  they  all  partake  freely. 
Then,  after  more  friendly  chatting  and  some  suit- 
able exhortations  from  the  matrons  and  the  con- 
gratulations from  all,  the  guests  depart.  Our 
youthful  friends  are  left  to  themselves,  and 


174 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


another  Cliristiaii  home  adds  its  rays  to  the 
light  which  we  hope  will  ere  long  cover  Siam. 

jNIany  Siamese  men  have  several  wives  at  a 
time,  but  they  do  not  marry  all  in  the  same  way. 
They  pay  a sum  of  money  for  each,  but  often  all 
ceremony  is  laid  aside  after  the  first  marriage, 
save  paying  the  money.  They  build  a little 
house  for  each,  or  assign  her  a small  suite  of 
rooms  in  the  mansion,  if  men  of  wealth  and 
position.  Polygamy  is  not  so  common  among 
the  lower  as  among  the  higher  classes,  because 
of  inability  to  support  more  than  one  wife  at  a 
time ; but  a wife  can  be  put  away  or  left  at 
will.  Notwithstanding  these  evils,  I have  known 
many  homes  among  the  Siamese  where  the 
“ heart  of  the  husband  safely  trusted  in  the 
wife,”  and  she,  with  loving  confidence  in  him, 
“ looked  well  to  the  ways  of  her  household.” 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


HOUSEKEEPIXG  IN  SIAM. 

LL  ordinary  Siamese  houses  must  have  three 


rooms.  Indeed,  so  important  is  this  consid- 
ered that  the  suitor  must  often  promise  to  furnish 
the  requisite  number  before  the  parents  will  con- 
sent to  let  him  claim  his  bride. 

There  is  the  bedroom,  where  the  family  all 
huddle  together  at  night ; an  outer  room,  where 
they  sit  through  the  day  and  where  they  receive 
visitors ; and  the  kitchen. 

I will  beo;in  at  the  latter  and  trv  to  describe 
the  dirty,  dingy  place.  The  Siamese  have  no 
godliness,  and  the  next  thing  to  it,  cleanliness,  is 
entirely  lacking.  So  please  step  carefully  or  you 
may  soil  your  clothes  against  a black  rice-pot  or 
come  in  contact  Avith  drying  fish. 

There  is  usually  a rude  box  filled  Avith  earth 
Avhere  they  build  the  fire  and  do  Avhat  they  call 
the  cooking ; that  is,  they  boil  rice  and  make 
curry  and  roast  fish  and  plantains  over  the 
coals.  All  in  the  household  are  taught  to  do 
these  simple  things,  and  the  father  and  the 
brothers,  if  they  are  at  home,  in  poor  families. 


175 


17G 


SIAM  A XI)  LAOS. 


where  the  w'omen  work  for  the  living,  are  just 
as  apt  to  get  them  ready  as  the  women. 

There  is  no  making  of  bread  or  pie  or  cake  or 
pudding — no  roast,  no  gravies,  no  soups.  Even 
vegetables  are  seldom  cooked  at  home,  but  are 
prepared  by  others  and  sold  in  the  markets  or 
peddled  about  the  streets.  There  they  buy  boiled 
sweet  potatoes  and  green  corn,  and  stewed  fruits 
and  curries,  and  roasted  fish,  and  nuts  and  pea- 
nuts and  bananas,  sliced  pineapple,  melon  and 
squash ; and  pickled  onions  and  turnips  are  sold 
through  the  streets  of  Bangkok  and  Petchaburee 
just  as  pickled  beets  are  in  Damascus. 

Curry  is  made  of  all  sorts  of  things,  but  is 
usually  a combination  of  meat  or  fish  and  vege- 
tables. If  you  want  an  English  name  for  it  that 
all  can  understand  you  must  call  it  a stew.  The 
ingredients  are  chopped  very  fine  or  pounded  in 
a mortar,  especially  the  red  peppers,  onions  and 
spices.  The  predominant  flavor  is  red  pepper, 
so  hot  and  fiery  that  your  mouth  will  smart  and 
burn  for  half  an  hour  after  you  have  eaten  it. 
Still,  many  of  the  curries  are  very  nice,  and  with 
boiled  rice  furnish  a good  meal.  But  sometimes 
“ broth  of  abominable  things  is  in  their  vessels,” 
as,  for  instance,  when  they  make  curry  of  rats  or 
bats  or  of  the  meat  of  animals  that  have  died  of 
disease ; and  they  flavor  it  wdth  kapick,  a sort  of 
rotten  fish  of  Avhich  all  Siamese  are  inordinately 
fond.  Its  chief  peculiarity  is  that  it  “smells  to 


HOUSEKEEPING  IN  SIAM. 


177 


heaven”  and  is  unrivaled  in  the  strength  of  its 
flavor. 

Siam  is  unique  in  that  she  produces  two  of 
the  most  abominable,  and  yet  the  most  delicious, 
things,  if  we  believe  what  we  hear.  These  are, 
first,  the  durian,  a large  fruit  found  only  on  this 
peninsula  ; and,  second,  kapick,  which  I hope  is 
not  found  anywhere  outside  of  Siam. 

But  to  return  to  the  kitchen : it  has  no  chim- 
ney, and  the  smoke  finds  its  way  out  as  best  it 
can,  so  that  nearly  everything  is  black  and  sooty. 
There  is  but  little  furniture  except  the  fireplace, 
the  rice-pots,  a kettle  and  perhaps  a frying-pan, 
and  baskets  of  various  shapes  and  sizes,  one  pair 
being  daubed  within  and  without  with  pitch  and 
used  to  carry  water.  There  is  a little  stool,  a foot 
square  and  six  inches  high,  that  they  call  a table, 
and  on  which  they  place  the  curry  and  fish  and 
sliced  vegetables,  while  those  who  eat  squat  like 
toads  about  it,  each  having  on  the  floor  before 
him  a bowl  of  rice,  which  is  replenished  from  a 
larger  dish  near  by  or  directly  from  the  rice-pot 
in  the  fireplace. 

There  is  no  regularity  about  their  meals,  and 
they  do  not  wait  for  one  another,  but  eat  when- 
ever they  get  hungry.  In  the  higher  families 
the  men  always  eat  first  and  by  themselves,  and 
the  wives  and  children  and  dogs  take  what  is  left. 

The  usual  rule  is  for  each  one  to  wash  his  own 
rice-bowl  and  turn  it  upside  down  in  a basket  in 
12 


178 


SIAM  AXD  LAOS. 


the  corner  of  the  room,  there  to  drip  and  dry  till 
the  next  time  it  is  needed. 

They  eat  witli  their  fingers,  very  few  having 
even  so  miich  as  a spoon,  and  tliey  do  not  use  the 
wafer-like  bread  so  common  in  the  Levant,  which 
the  Syrians  double  into  a kind  of  three-cornered 
spoon,  and,  dipping  up  some  kibby,  or  camel-stew, 
or  rice,  eat  down  spoon  and  all. 

The  kitchen  floors  are  nearly  all  made  of  split 
bamboo,  with  great  cracks  between,  through 
which  they  pour  all  the  slops  and  push  the 
scraps  and  bones,  so  that  sweeping  is  unneces- 
sary. Near  the  door  are  several  large  earthen 
jars  for  water,  which  are  fdled  from  the  river  by 
the  women  or  servants.  Here  they  wash  their 
feet  before  they  enter  the  house,  and  their  hands 
and  mouths  before  and  after  they  eat,  dipping 
the  water  with  a gourd  or  cocoanut-shell.  They 
use  brass  basins  and  trays  a great  deal,  but  for 
lack  of  scouring  they  are  discolored  and  green 
with  verdigris ; and  I cannot  help  thinking  that 
the  use  of  such  vessels  is  one  of  the  fruitful 
sources  of  the  fearful  sores  and  eru])tions  with 
which  the  whole  nation  is  afflicted. 

There  are  no  washing-  or  ironing-days.  Many 
wear  no  upper  garment,  only  a waist-cloth,  which 
they  keep  on  when  they  go  to  bathe,  and  when 
they  come  up  out  of  the  water  they  change  it  for 
a dry  one.  It  is  then  rubbed  a little  in  the  water, 
wrung  out  and  spread  in  the  snn  to  dry.  If  it  is 


SIAMESE  LADIES  DINING. 


180 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


not  stolen,  tliey  fold  it  up  when  it  is  dry  and  pat 
it  with  their  hands,  and  that  is  all  the  ironing 
they  do. 

The  outer  room  of  the  house  is  barren  enough, 
with  jjerhaps  a mat  or  ox-hide  for  guests  to  sit 
upon,  and  a tray  from  which  all  are  served  with 
betel  and  tobacco.  It  is  considered  a great  insult 
not  to  offer  betel  to  your  guests,  and  a greater 
one  still,  I believe,  to  refuse  it  when  offered. 
They  think  the  red  lips  and  black  teeth  it  pro- 
duces are  very  beautiful.  They  have  a saying, 
“Any  dog  can  have  white  teeth,”  inferring  that 
only  human  beings  know  how  to  blacken  theirs. 

The  bedroom  is  where  things  accumulate — old 
baskets  and  bags,  rags,  bundles  and  boxes.  You 
seldom  see  idols  in  a Siamese  house,  but  I have 
seen  them  sometimes  in  the  bedroom,  especially 
if  any  one  is  sick.  There  are  no  bedsteads,  no 
tables,  chairs,  bureau,  washstaud,  or  indeed  any 
of  those  things  which  we  consider  necessary.  A 
torn  straw  mat  or  two,  or  perhaps  an  ox-hide  on 
the  floor,  with  a brick-shaped  pillow  stuffed  with 
cotton  or  a brick  itself  or  block  of  wood  for  a pil- 
low, constitute  the  ordinary  Siamese  bed. 

In  families  not  the  very  poorest  you  will  find 
long  narrow  mattresses  stuffed  with  tree-cotton. 
They  may  be  covered  with  an  old  ragged  waist- 
cloth  instead  of  a sheet,  and  over  them  is  sus- 
pended a mosquito  curtain  of  dark-blue  cloth  or 
one  of  unbleached  cotton.  I have  known  these 


HOUSEKEEriNG  IN  SLUE 


181 


curtains  to  hang  for  years  without  ever  being 
changed  or  washed.  The  beds  and  mats  are 
filthy  and  swarming  with  bugs,  which  also  infest 
the  curtains,  the  coverings,  the  cracks  in  the 
floor  and  the  wall,  the  boxes,  and  indeed  all 
the  rubbish  in  the  room.  I have  seen  them 
creeping  over  the  people,  and  no  one  seems  to 
mind  them  or  think  of  being  ashamed. 

These  rooms  are  never  cleared  out  or  swept  or 
scrubbed.  The  cobwebs  of  succeeding  years  tan- 
gle and  entangle  themselves  in  the  corners,  drape 
the  rafters  and  the  windows,  and  indeed  every 
place  where  the  busy  spinners  can  do  their  work. 
There  is  seldom  more  than  one  window  in  a bed- 
room, and  at  night  it  is  carefully  closed,  and  if 
it  were  not  for  the  cracks  in  the  floor  and  walls 
the  miserable  inmates  would  surely  smother. 
They  do  not  bring  their  cattle  into  the  house, 
for  it  is  very  frail  and  set  upon  poles  about  six 
feet  from  the  ground,  but  they  do  keep  them 
under  the  house,  so  that  they  can  hear  if  thieves 
come  to  steal  them. 

They  never  give  any  dinner-  or  tea-parties  or 
visit  each  other,  as  we  do  at  home.  There  is  an 
occasional  feast,  as  at  a wedding,  a funeral  or  a 
hair-cutting,  and  sometimes  neighbor  girls  will 
sit  together  under  the  trees  to  sew,  or  by  the 
same  lamp  at  night  to  economize  oil  and  to  chat 
and  gossip.  A great  place  for  the  latter  pastime 
is  at  the  temples  when  they  go  to  hear  the  Bnddh- 


182 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


ist  services,  Avliich  are  usually  in  Bali,  and 
therefore  not  understood,  or  by  the  river-banks 
and  wells  when  they  go  to  fetch  water. 

Thus  you  see  that  housekeeping  among  the 
Siamese  is  very  simple  and  primitive.  There  are 
no  women  who  have  worn  out  their  lives  in  mak- 
ing and  mending,  baking  and  scrubbing,  and 
fussing  over  a cook-stove.  They  do  not  dread 
the  spring  house-cleaning  or  the  fall  setting  up 
of  stoves  and  putting  down  of  carpets.  There  is 
no  Thanksgiving  dinner  to  cook,  nor  Christmas 
holiday  feasting,  and  no  Fourth  of  July  jucnic ; 
no  preserving  or  pickling,  no  canning  of  fruits 
nor  packing  of  butter  nor  pressing  of  cheese. 

But,  alas ! there  is  no  happy  home-life  either 
— no  family  altar,  no  pleasant  social  board  where 
father,  mother,  sisters  and  brothers  meet  three 
times  a day,  and,  thanking  God  for  food,  eat 
with  joy  and  gladness  and  grow  strong  for  his 
service  ; no  sitting-room,  where  some  of  the  ha]i- 
piest  years  of  our  lives  are  spent  in  loving  com- 
panionship with  those  of  our  own  household,  no 
place  for  books,  and  no  books  to  read,  except 
perhaps  a few  vile  tales  or  books  of  superstition 
and  witchery. 

May  God  pity  Siam  and  j^lant  in  her  king- 
dom many  happy  Christian  homes ! May  her 
people  be  purified  and  cleansed,  and  taught  of 
him  in  all  things ! Then,  and  not  till  then,  will 
the  good  influences,  working  from  the  heart  out- 


HOUSEKEEPING  IN  SIAM. 


183 


ward,  touch  and  cleanse  and  beautify  all  their 
surroundings. 

Note. — The  reader  will  doubtless  notice  that  my  descrip- 
tion is  of  Siamese  life  among  the  lower  classes,  not  among 
those  who  have  come  in  contact  with  missionaries  and  been 
improved  somewhat,  nor  those  of  the  higher  classes  in  Bang- 
kok— the  princes  and  nobles,  whose  old-time  home-life  was 
neater  and  more  orderly  than  that  here  described.  These, 
through  the  influence  of  foreigners  coming  to  Siam  and  visits 
to  foreign  lands,  have  raised  themselves  in  the  scale  of  living, 
and  have  foreign  houses  filled  with  foreign  furniture  and  con- 
veniences, order  sumptuous  meals  from  foreign  bakeries,  and 
have  them  placed  upon  their  tables  and  served  in  modern 
style.  I do  not  consider  that  true  Siamese  housekeeping. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


CHILD-LIFE  IN  SIAM. 


\1/’HEN  the  Siamese  young  folks  get  up  in  the 
**  morning  they  do  not  go  to  the  washstand 
to  wash  their  faces,  for  the  simple  reason  that 
Siamese  houses  can  boast  no  such  article  of  fur- 
niture. The  cooking  utensils  and  the  mats  which 


serve  for  beds,  with  the  pillows  of  gayly-painted 
bamboo  or  of  tightly-stuffed  cotton,  make  up  the 
entire  furnishing  of  a Siamese  home.  The  houses 
of  the  poor  peoj:)le  are  simple  bamboo  huts  of  one 
or  tAvo  rooms,  while  their  richer  neighbors  have 
teak-wood  houses,  Avith  an  extra  room  perhaps ; 
but  all  are  alike  simple  in  their  furniture. 

Our  little  Siamese  friend  just  runs  doAAui  to  the 
foot  of  the  ladder — for  the  house  is  built  on  posts 
— to  a large  jar  of  water  AA'itli  a cocoanut-shell 
dipper.  There  she  washes  her  face — not  in  the 
dipper,  hut  by  throAA’ing  the  AA^ater  over  her 
hands  and  rubbing  them  over  her  face.  She 
needs  no  toAvel,  for  the  AA^ater  is  left  to  dry.  She 
does  not  brush  her  teeth,  for  they  are  stained 
black  by  chcAving  the  betel-nut  and  seri-leaf. 
Her  hair  does  not  require  combing  either,  for  it 


1S4 


CHILD-LIFE  IN  SIAM. 


185 


is  all  shaved  except  a little  tuft  on  the  top  of  the 
head,  and  that  is  tied  in  a little  knot  and  not 
often  combed;  and  after  a girl  is  twelve  years 
old  it  is  shaved  and  kept  very  short. 

After  breakfast  is  over — and  a very  simple 
meal  it  is  in  Siam — the  children  go  olf  and  find 
some  pleasant  place  in  which  to  play.  The  baby 
goes  with  them,  and  is  carried  by  the  older  sister 
on  her  right  hip,  and,  with  her  arm  to  support 
the  child’s  back,  she  walks  along  as  if  she  had 
no  load  to  carry. 

The  girls  play  at  keeping  house,  and  make 
dishes  of  clay  dried  in  the  sun,  and  from  seeds, 
grasses  and  weeds  they  make  all  sorts  of  imagin- 
ary delicacies.  Little  images  of  clay  washed  Avith 
lime  are  their  only  dolls;  these  are  sometimes  laid 
in  tiny  cradles  and  covered  with  a feAv  pieces  of 
cloth.  The  Siamese  cradles  are  made  on  oblong 
Avooden  frames,  something  like  a picture-frame, 
from  Avhich  hangs  a network  bag  made  of  cord, 
which  forms  the  cradle,  and  a board  is  put  in 
the  bottom  to  keep  the  netted  cord  in  shape. 
The  large  cradle  of  the  same  sort  in  Avhich  the 
live  baby  sleeps  is  fastened  by  ropes  to  the  raf- 
ters of  the  house,  and  forms  a cooler  and  safer 
cradle  than  those  in  AAdiich  American  babies  rest. 
If  any  one  Avill  make  a little  frame  and  net  some 
cord  for  the  basket  part,  she  can  haA'e  a real 
Siamese  cradle. 

The  boys  in  Siam  are  very  fond  of  pitching 


18(> 


6'LLl/  AM)  LAOS. 


coins,  and  spend  much  of  their  time  in  this 
game.  They  piny  leap-frog,  and  very  often 
jump  the  rope.  Now  that  so  many  foreigners 
come  to  this  country  they  have  learned  to  j)lay 
marbles  too.  Foot-ball  is  also  a very  popular 
game,  but  instead  of  a ball  they  use  a little 
square  piece  of  thick  leather  with  feathers  fast- 
ened into  one  side.  The  men,  as  well  as  the 
boys,  enjoy  this  game,  and  it  is  really  the  most 
active  exercise  the  Siamese  ever  take.  Fishing 
is  a favorite  pastime ; and  as  crabs  and  prawns 
are  not  always  in  season,  they  are  a greater  lux- 
ury than  fish,  and  it  is  considered  great  fun  to 
catch  them.  Idie  time  for  this  is  when  the  tide 
in  the  river  is  very  low  and  great  mud-banks 
are  left  on  either  side.  The  little  fishermen  carry 
with  them  a coarse  sieve  and  an  earthen  jar.  The 
sieve  is  pushed  along  under  the  surface  of  the 
mud,  and  the  crabs,  when  caught,  are  ])ut  into  the 
jars,  which  the  children  drag  along  after  them. 
After  they  have  caught  enough  crabs  they  pelt 
each  other  with  mud,  just  as  American  boys  do 
Avith  snowballs.  When  they  are  tired  and  dirty 
enough  they  plunge  into  the  Avater,  have  a good 
SAA'im,  and  come  out  of  the  water  as  clean  and 
happy  as  boys  can  be.  In  the  month  of  March, 
though  usually  dry  and  hot,  AA’inds  are  blowing. 
At  this  time  the  Siamese,  young  and  old,  are 
much  engaged  in  playing  games  with  kites, 
which  are  fitted  AA'ith  AA'histles,  and  tlie  air  re- 


CHILD-LIFE  jy  SIAM. 


187 


sounds  with  the  noise  produced  by  the  toys  and 
tlie  shouts  of  the  multitudes  of  people  engaged  in 
the  s]3ort.  Very  frequently,  too,  mimic  battles 
are  fought  in  the  air  by  means  of  these  kites, 
skillfidly  directed  by  strings  held  in  the  hands 
of  the  owners. 

Siamese  children  do  not  have  many  pets,  and 
those  that  they  do  have  are  used  for  fighting. 
Just  at  sunset  the  boys  will  often  be  seen  search- 
ing very  earnestly  for  crickets.  These  little 
creatures  are  put  into  small  clay  cages,  closed 
at  the  top  by  bars  of  little  sticks  which  let  in 
the  light  and  air.  Then  the  boys  gather  some 
evening,  put  all  their  crickets  into  a large  box, 
and  watch  them  fight,  as  they  are  sure  to  do 
when  put  together.  Small  fish,  called  needle-fish 
from  their  long  sharp  mouths,  are  also  used  for 
this  cruel  purpose.  Two  fish  are  put  into  sepa- 
rate bottles  placed  close  to  each  other.  The 
moment  they  catch  sight  of  each  other  they 
begin  snapping,  but  of  course  can  never  reach 
each  other.  Sometimes  a looking-glass  is  held 
before  one,  and  it  is  amusing  as  well  as  painful 
to  see  how  angry  it  will  become.  This  passion 
for  mimic  fights  grows  in  the  boys,  and  Avhen 
they  become  men  they  spend  most  of  their  time 
at  cockpits,  where  nearly  all  their  gambling  is 
done.  In  spite  of  all  this,  animals  are  well  cared 
for  by  most  persons,  for  they  “ make  merit”  in 
this  way.  They  also  believe  that  at  some  future 


188 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


time  a fish,  a monkey,  a dog,  a cat,  or  it  may  be 
a snake,  a bird  or  a pig,  will  be  the  possible 
borne  of  their  own  soul. 

The  Siamese  are  fond  of  flowers,  and  use  them 
for  personal  adornment.  The  children  wear 
wreaths  of  tiny  white  flowers  on  their  toj:)knots, 
and  very  often  men  and  women  put  flowers  be- 
hind their  ears  and  fasten  them  in  their  hair. 
Children  are  often  named  for  flowers  and  differ- 
ent colors.  The  name  that  almost  all  babies  bear 
for  the  first  few  years  of  their  life  is  “Dang,” 
which  means  red.  When  they  get  a little  older 
they  have  another  name  given  them,  though 
sometimes  this  first  name  clings  to  them  all 
their  lives.  When  a stranger  meets  a young 
girl  and  wishes  to  speak  to  her  she  calls  her 
“Rat,”  for  this  is  the  most  polite  way  of  ad- 
dressing young  ladies  whose  name  one  does  not 
know. 

There  are  no  story-books  printed  for  the  chil- 
dren of  Siam.  Their  stories  are  told  to  them, 
and  are  so  uninteresting  that  American  children 
would  wonder  how  any  one  could  listen  to  them ; 
but  they  have  never  heard  better  ones,  and  the 
sweetest  story  of  all,  that  of  Jesus  and  his  love, 
has  never  been  heard  by  millions  there.  Some 
of  the  missionaries  have  translated  into  Siamese 
a number  of  story-books  which  are  familiar  to 
American  children.  A number  of  the  familiar 
Sabbath-school  hymns  have  also  been  translated. 


A YOUNG  SIAMESE  PRINCE. 


SIAM  AM)  LAOS. 


]{)() 

and  arc  used  in  the  Sabbatli-scliool  and  church 
services. 

The  Siamese  know  nothing  of  music.  Their 
songs  are  a monotonous  chant.  They  have  but 
few  musical  instruments,  and  it  does  not  take 
many  to  make  a full  band.  These  bands  play 
at  weddings,  funerals  and  other  grand  affairs, 
but  they  do  not  vary  their  programme  in  the 
least,  playing  the  same  tune  on  any  of  these 
occasions. 

The  Siamese  children  are  not  taught  to  keep 
Sunday,  for  there  is  no  Sabbath  in  that  heathen 
land ; and  even  their  occasional  holy  days  are 
mere  gala-days,  when,  dressed  in  their  best  and 
gayest  garments,  they  go  to  the  temples  with 
their  mothers  to  make  offerings  to  the  image  of 
their  dead  god  Buddha.  From  the  temples  they 
are  often  taken  to  some  theatrical  show  to  spend 
the  remainder  of  the  day.  During  the  national 
holiday  season  these  theatrical  performances  are 
going  on  all  the  time,  besides  Chinese  street- 
shows  very  much  like  our  Punch  and  Judy; 
and  fathers,  mothers  and  children  all  gamble. 

As  the  streets  in  Siam  are  almost  all  rivers 
and  canals,  the  Siamese  boys  and  girls  early  learn 
to  row,  and  paddle  their  little  boats  almost  as 
soon  as  they  learn  to  swim,  which  they  do  when 
they  are  only  four  or  five  years  old.  Their  canoes 
are  sometimes  so  small  that  it  is  a puzzle  to  know 
how  they  can  manage  them  so  safely. 


A CIIIMESE  STREET  SHOW. 


192 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


We  have  seen  that  in  their  plays  the  Siamese 
and  American  children  have  much  in  common, 
but  in  their  home-life  it  is  different.  Siamese 
parents  love  their  children  as  truly,  if  not  as 
wisely,  as  American  fathers  and  mothers  love 
theirs.  Generally  the  children  are  allowed  to 
do  just  as  they  please  until  the  parents  become 
angry ; then  they  are  sometimes  very  cruelly 
punished.  The  hand  of  a little  one  is  some- 
times bent  back  until  the  child  writhes  in  agony. 
They  are  whipped  very  severely  too,  although  it 
must  be  confessed  that  the  children  sometimes 
scream  and  cry  very  loudly  before  they  are 
hurt.  But  these  punishments  are  not  often 
administered  for  what  we  would  consider  sin- 
ful. The  parents  lie,  swear  and  gamble,  so 
that  they  cannot  well  punish  their  children 
for  following  their  example.  They  often  curse 
their  children  for  a very  little  thing,  and  so  the 
children  learn  to  curse  each  other.  But  there 
is  one  thing  that  the  Siamese  children  could 
teach  young  folks  in  America — reverence  for 
their  parents  and  for  old  age  and  respect  for 
those  in  authority  over  them. 


CHAPTER  X. 


FIRST  HAIR-CUTTING  OF  A YOUNG  SIAMESE. 

The  attention  of  the  traveler  as  lie  passes  in 
his  boat  along  the  rivers  and  canals  of  Siam, 
in  town  or  country,  is  often  arrested  by  the  sound 
of  music  proceeding  from  beneath  an  extempo- 
rized awning  in  front  of  some  dwelling  by  the 
wayside.  There  a promiscuous  crowd  have  gath- 
ered and  are  ivitnessing  a theatrical  performance, 
the  actors  and  actresses  with  chalked  faces  or 
hideous  masks  and  in  glittering  and  fantastic 
attire.  The  centre  of  attraction,  however,  is 
manifestly  a pretty  child  of  a dozen  summers 
or  so,  richly  attired  and  fairly  overlaid  with  jew- 
elry— necklaces,  gold  chains,  armlets,  bracelets 
and  anklets. 

A hair-cutting  festival  is  in  progress — a kone- 
chook,  as  it  is  called,  the  ceremonies  and  the  gay- 
eties  that  attend  the  first  clipping  of  the  cher- 
ished topknot  on  the  child’s  head.  This  is  the 
great  occasion  in  the  life  of  the  child,  and  indeed 
second  only  to  that  of  a wedding  or  a funeral  in 
the  life  of  the  family.  The  Siamese  in  shaving 
the  heads  of  their  children,  as  they  do  from  their 

13  1>I3 


194 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


earliest  infancy,  always  leave  a small  circular  lock 
of  hair  on  the  top  of  the  head  to  be  untouched  by 
razor  or  shears  till  the  child  is  eleven,  thirteen,  or 
fifteen  years  old.  Were  it  to  be  cut  at  an  earlier 
day  or  without  the  customary  ceremonies,  the 
parents  would  fear  their  child  would  become  in- 
sane or  a prey  to  a kind  of  demon  they  call  a 
yak.  This  lock  grows  a foot  or  so  long,  and  is 
kept  oiled  and  neatly  twisted  into  a knot. 
Through  this  a gilt  or  golden  large-headed 
hairpin  three  inches  long  is  thrust,  and  not 
uiifrequently  a garland  of  fragrant  white  flow- 
ers is  worn  around  it,  giving  young  Siamese 
children  quite  a pretty  a])j)earance. 

When  the  right  year  has  arrived  and  the 
lucky  day  for  the  hair-cutting  has  been  fixed 
by  the  astrologers,  the  friends  of  the  family  are 
invited,  and  a band  of  play-actors  engaged  and 
a company  of  Buddhist  priests,  and  for  a day  or 
two  there  is  a constant  round  of  prayer-chanting, 
play-acting  and  feasting  of  priests  and  friends. 
The  ceremonies  begin  with  the  priests  chanting 
in  chorus  their  prayers,  seated  cross-legged  on 
mats  on  an  elevated  platform,  a thread  of  Avhite 
cotton  yarn  passing  from  their  hands  around  the 
clasped  hands  of  the  kneeling  child  and  back  to 
them  again,  serving  as  a sort  of  electric  conductor 
to  the  child  of  the  benefits  their  prayers  evoke. 
The  next  morning,  when  the  auspicious  moment 
arrives,  the  man  of  highest  rank  among  the 


REMOVAL  OF  TPIE  TUFT  OF  A YOUNG  SIAMESE. 


196 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


guests  with  shears  clips  off  the  long-cherished 
lock,  and  the  head  is  close  shaved  for  the  first 
time  ; and  then  the  child,  dressed  in  white,  is  led 
to  an  elevated  seat  under  a canopy  of  white  cloth 
and  consecrated  water  is  poured  freely  over  it, 
first  by  the  ])arents,  then  by  kindred  and  friends. 
Its  dren-ched  garments  are  now  replaced  by  gay 
attire,  and  a curious  ceremony  called  weean  teean 
is  next  gone  through  with.  Candles  are  lighted, 
and  while  the  music  is  playing  loudly  are  carried 
five  times  round  the  child,  who  is  seated  on  a kind 
of  throne  between  two  circular  five-storied  flower- 
stand-like  altars,  called  bai-sees,  containing  cooked 
rice,  fruit  and  flowers,  offerings  to  the  spirits  of 
the  air.  The  candles  are  then  blown  out  in  such 
a Avay  that  the  smoke  shall  be  borne  toward  the 
child.  This  is  supposed  to  stock  the  boy  or  girl 
witli  s})irit  and  courage  for  the  duties  of  life. 

The  relatives  and  friends  of  the  family  now  are 
expected  to  make  a present  in  money  to  the  child, 
each  according  to  his  ability  or  station,  the  sums 
varying  from  one  to  eighty  pieces  of  silver  (60 
cents  to  $48),  so  that  the  newly-shorn  youngster 
will  on  these  occasions  receive  enough  to  give  him 
quite  a start  in  the  world  or  if  a maiden  sufficient 
for  a dowry. 

And  now  a general  feasting  ensues,  the  yellow- 
clad  priests  being  first  served,  and  for  a day  or 
two  more  the  music  and  theatrical  performances 
continue.  After  this  the  children  are  reckoned 


FIRST  HAIR-CUTTING. 


197 


as  young  men  and  young  women.  The  kone- 
chook  is  in  fact  their  “ coming-out”  festival. 

Those  whose  poverty  will  not  allow  the  ex- 
pense of  such  an  affair  take  their  child  when  it 
arrives  at  the  proper  age  to  a Buddhist  temple, 
and  have  a priest  shave  off  the  tuft  with  some 
simple  religious  ceremony. 

If  so  much  is  made  of  this  observance  in  the 
case  of  ordinary  children,  the  celebration  of  the 
first  hair-cutting  of  a young  prince  or  princess, 
as  may  well  be  imagined,  is  a very  grand  affair. 
It  is  then  styled  a sokan.  Preparations  for  it 
commence  months  beforehand  ; the  governors  of 
provinces  far  and  near  are  summoned  to  be  pres- 
ent ; the  highest  priests  in  the  kingdom  are  in- 
vited ; and  public  festivities,  with  free  theatres, 
shadow-plays,  rope-dancing,  etc.,  to  amuse  the 
immense  crowds  of  people  present,  are  kept  up 
for  many  days. 

If  the  child  prince  or  princess  is  of  the  very 
highest  rank,  part  of  the  ceremony  takes  jilace 
on  an  artificial  mountain  constructed  in  the  court 
of  the  palace  of  strong  timberwork  and  boards, 
covered  so  entirely  with  sheets  of  pewter  gilded 
that  it  appears  like  a beautiful  mountain  of  gold. 
The  one  erected  a few  years  ago  for  the  sokan  of 
the  eldest  daughter  of  the  reigning  king — she 
being  also  a great  grand-daughter  of  the  ex- 
regent— the  princess  Sri  Wililaxan,  was  sixty 
feet  high  (higher  than  a four-story  building). 


198 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


and  had  cliffs  here  and  grottoes  there,  and  lakes 
and  waterfalls,  and  trees  with  artificial  monkeys 
and  birds  and  serpents,  which  by  concealed  ma- 
chinery were  made  to  move  among  them  as  if 
alive,  and  winding  paths  that  led  to  the  top, 
where  an  elegant  gilt  pavilion  gleamed  in  the 
sun. 

The  ceremonies  on  this  occasion  commenced 
with  the  chanting  of  prayers  in  the  hall  of  state 
at  the  palace  by  twenty-four  head  priests  of  the 
chief  temples  of  the  city,  and  the  lighting  of 
“ the  candle  of  victory,”  a huge  wax  candle  six 
feet  high,  which  burned  day  and  night  till  the 
moment  the  hair  was  cut.  The  next  morning 
these  same  priests  Avere  sumptuously  feasted  at 
the  palace,  and  dismissed  with  presents  of  priests’ 
robes,  cushions,  fans,  etc.,  and  another  company 
took  their  place. 

In  the  afternoon  was  the  first  of  the  grand  pro- 
cessions to  escort  the  young  princess  to  the  great 
hall  of  state  where  the  religious  services  Avere 
held.  In  the  open  square  in  front  of  this  hall 
seats  Avere  provided  for  six  or  seven  hundred  of 
the  nobility  to  witness  the  procession,  themselves 
a most  brilliant  sight  in  their  coats  of  gold  bro- 
cade, many  sparkling  with  diamonds.  As  soon 
as  the  king  arrived  and  seated  himself  in  the 
high  pavilion  prepared  for  him  a troop  of  beau- 
tiful girls  in  glittering  dresses  descended  from 
the  golden  mountain — from  the  gilded  temple 


FIRST  HAIR-CUTTING. 


199 


there — autl  at  the  base  of  tlie  mountain,  in  full 
view  of  His  Majesty,  danced  the  flower-dance  to 
the  sound  of  native  music,  waving  branches  of 
gold  and  silver  flowers. 

Heralded  by  music,  the  imposing  procession 
now  came  on.  First  there  were  masked  men 
representing  Japanese  warriors;  then  Siamese 
soldiers  in  European  uniform,  with  bands  of 
music;  then  two  noblemen,  representing  celes- 
tial messengers,  archangels,  dressed  in  all  white 
with  gold  embroidery,  and  having  crowns  on 
their  heads  terminating  in  a long,  slender,  white 
spire  full  eighteen  inches  high.  These  led  on 
a hundred  more  angels  with  like  high-pointed 
spires  on  their  heads ; then  came  Indian  musi- 
cians and  yet  more  angels,  and  then  companies 
of  men  and  boys  of  all  nationalities  that  were  to 
serve  the  princess,  each  in  their  national  cos- 
tume— first,  a troop  of  Chinese  in  blue,  then  of 
Malays  with  white  turbans,  then  Ananiese,  Pegu- 
ans,  Laos,  Karens. 

And  now  a pretty  sight — more  than  a hundred 
children  of  noblemen  dressed  in  white,  with  little 
gold  coronets  on  their  topknots  and  loaded  with 
jewelry,  all  kept  in  their  places  by  holding  on 
to  a rope  drawn  tight  by  strong  men  before  and 
behind.  Trumpeters  and  drummers  in  scarlet 
came  next,  and  Brahmans  in  white  and  gold 
scattering  flowers  and  sprinkling  holy  water. 
Men  now  came  on  carrying  the  peculiar  stand- 


200 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


ards  of  royalty : eight  had  each  a sort  of  many- 
storied  umbrella  of  gold  cloth,  the  staff  fifteen 
feet  high ; others  carried  huge  golden  curiously- 
carved  fans  with  long  handles,  others  spears,  and 
one  the  sword  of  state.  Two  pretty  damsels, 
robed  and  crowned  as  queens,  with  bunches  of 
peacock  feathers  in  their  hands,  followed,  and 
then  came  the  little  princess  herself,  in  white 
robes  and  wearing  a small  diadem,  seated  on  a 
golden  throne  borne  aloft  on  the  shoulders  of 
pages  in  purple.  By  her  side  walked  six  of  the 
great  nobles  of  the  kingdom  as  archangels,  with 
high  white  steeple-like  crowns,  and  twelve  maids 
of  honor  in  rich  dresses  followed,  bearing  her 
gold  tray  of  betel,  her  spittoon,  fan  and  other 
articles  of  use ; then  there  were  more  of  the 
storied  umbrellas  and  huge  fans  and  spear- 
bearers.  Next  in  the  procession  walked  with 
lady-like  and  graceful  carriage  fifty  or  more  of 
the  king’s  wives  in  ranks  of  four,  all  wearing 
robes  of  snowy  silk  reaching  to  their  feet,  with 
scarfs  of  silver  hue,  and  eight  or  nine  massive 
gold  chains  passing  over  one  shoulder  and  across 
the  breast,  as  did  the  scarfs,  the  other  shoulder 
and  arm  being  left  bare.  After  these  came  vari- 
ous officials  of  the  harem,  and  last  the  female 
police  of  the  palace. 

Following  the  women  of  the  palace  were  rep- 
resentatives of  women  of  all  the  nations  living  in 
Siam  and  near  it — Chinese,  Japanese,  Hindoo, 


FIRST  HAIR-GUTTING. 


201 


Burmese,  Laos,  Cochin-Chinese,  etc. — each  in 
their  national  dress,  the  last  in  long  blue  silk 
coats  with  orange  trousers.  These  were  succeeded 
by  the  Siamese  servants  of  the  princess — hun- 
dreds of  lively  girls  in  bright  scarfs ; after  them 
two  white  ponies  were  led  by  grooms.  Then 
came  the  men-servants,  many  hundreds,  in  white 
jackets,  and  a regiment  of  Siamese  soldiers 
formed  the  rear-guard. 

When  the  princess  reached  the  pavilion  where 
His  Majesty  sat,  her  bearers  stopj)ed,  and  she 
made  homage  to  her  royal  father  by  raising  her 
joined  hands  above  her  head.  He,  rising  to  re- 
ceive her,  lifted  her  to  his  side,  and  together 
they  passed  in  to  where  a relay  of  priests  were 
chanting  prayers.  After  an  hour  or  so,  the 
princess,  coming  out,  was  escorted  back  to  the 
gate  of  the  inner  palace,  all  going  in  the  same 
order  as  that  in  which  they  came.  These  pro- 
cessions were  repeated  every  afternoon  for  three 
days. 

On  the  fourth  and  great  day  the  ceremonies 
commenced  in  the  morning  soon  after  daybreak, 
for  so  the  Brahman  astrologers  had  directed. 
The  princess,  borne  in  procession  as  usual,  was 
taken  to  the  great  hall  of  the  palace,  and  there, 
precisely  at  the  lucky  moment,  the  lock  of  hair 
about  which  all  this  ado  was  made  was  solemnly 
cut  with  scissors  by  the  highest  of  the  princes. 
Her  head  was  then  close  shaved  with  gold,  silver 


202 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


and  steel  razors.  The  candle  of  victory  was  now 
extinguished.  Still  clad  in  white,  oiir  little  prin- 
cess w'as  next  carried  in  pj-ocession  to  the  foot  of 
the  golden  mountain  and  seated  on  a marble 
bench  in  a pool  representing  the  holy  lake 
Anodad.  Here  the  king  took  five  jars — of  gold, 
silver,  brass,  bronze  and  stone — and  poured  holy 
water  over  her.  She  shivered,  and  almost  cried. 
But  the  great  princes  and  princesses,  and  after 
them  the  chief  of  nobles,  came  up,  and  each  in 
turn  poured  water  over  the  poor  child  with  try- 
ing deliberation  for  nearly  half  an  hour.  At 
last  she  was  permitted  to  retire  to  a curtained 
pavilion  near  and  exchange  her  drenched  robes 
of  wdiite  for  the  rich  apparel  of  royalty.  The 
prime  minister  and  the  minister  of  foreign 
affairs,  gorgeously  clad  as  angels,  escorted  her 
now  up  the  golden  mountain.  At  the  summit 
an  aged  uncle  of  the  king  and  her  royal  father 
himself  received  her.  In  the  pretty  temple  there 
she  was  invested  with  a crowm  of  solid  gold,  and 
then  descended  in  full  royal  state  covered  with 
jewels,  and  was  carried  in  procession  thrice  round 
the  mountain,  her  right  hand  toward  it. 

But,  lo ! a marvelous  transformation  in  the 
appearance  of  the  procession  had  now  taken 
place.  The  angels  that  had  been  clad  in  white 
now  assumed  pink  or  rose  tints ; the  ladies  of  the 
palace  had  golden-colored  scarfs  instead  of  silver, 
and  the  pretty  children  that  came  in  white  were 


FIRST  HAIR-CUTTING. 


203 


now  seen  clothed  in  pink,  with  bright  red  bands 
around  their  topknots  and  coronets,  all  indicative 
of  the  joyous  change  the  clipping  of  that  lock  of 
hair  had  brought  to  the  royal  child. 

The  morning’s  ceremony  lasted  in  all  about 
three  hours,  and  then  the  princess  was  borne 
away  to  needful  rest  for  a season. 

In  the  afternoon  another  ceremony  was  per- 
formed— the  "weean  teean,”  or  encircling  with 
candles,  of  which  mention  has  been  made  be- 
fore. Borne  to  the  hall  of  state  in  procession, 
the  princess,  in  rich  costume,  was  seated  on  a 
central  throne,  between  two  bai-sees,  which  in 
this  case  were  five-storied  piles  of  round  golden 
trays  successively  diminishing  in  size  toward  the 
top,  looking  like  circular  flower-stands,  each  con- 
taining cooked  rice-cakes,  scented  oil  and  flour, 
young  cocoanuts  and  bananas — all  surmounted 
by  a bouquet  of  flowers.  Near  her  sat  her  royal 
father.  All  around  the  hall  were  the  princes 
and  nobles  and  ladies  of  rank  seated  in  a circle. 
Two  chiefs  of  the  Brahmans  standing  near  the 
bai-sees  lighted  in  succession  fifteen  large  wax 
candles  set  in  gold,  silver  and  crystal  candle- 
sticks, and  handed  them  one  by  one  to  the  high- 
est in  rank  present,  who  with  a wave  of  his  hand 
guided  the  flame  toward  the  princess  and  passed 
the  candle  on  to  the  next,  who  did  the  same.  At 
the  same  time  others  of  the  Brahmans  were  beat- 
ing their  peculiar  drums  with  a wild  burst  of 


204 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


music,  and  hymns  were  chanted  while  each  of 
the  fifteen  candles  made  the  circuit  of  the  hall 
five  times,  and  then  were  handed  back  to  the 
Brahman,  Avho  suddenly  extinguished  them, 
blowing  the  smoke  toward  the  princess,  thus 
wafting  to  her,  as  it  were,  the  invigorating  in- 
fluence of  beneficent  spirits,  of  which  they  say 
the  air  is  full.  With  the  same  object  the  Brah- 
man gave  the  child  some  of  the  rice  with  the 
milk  of  the  young  cocoanut,  and,  dipping  his 
finger  in  the  sacred  oil  and  scented  flour, 
anointed  the  right  foot  in  three  places.  The 
king  then  poured  holy  water  over  his  daughter’s 
hands,  which  she  passed  over  her  head,  and  the 
ceremonies  for  the  day  were  over.  For  three 
days  this  weean-teean  rite  Avas  performed,  and 
the  processions  escorting  the  princess  back  and 
forth  Avent  on,  and  then  the  sokan  festival  Avas 
ended. 

During  these  last  three  days  congratulatory 
presents  in  silver  coin  Avere  most  liberally  made 
to  the  little  princess  by  all  of  any  rank  in  the 
kingdom.  The  amount  received  on  this  occasion 
Avas  not  less,  it  is  said,  than  fifty  thousand  dol- 
lars— enough  certainly  to  keep  a Siamese  prin- 
cess in  pin-money  for  life. 

One  cannot  help  remarking,  Hoav  costly  all 
these  vain  heathen  superstitions ! And  all  this 
pomp  and  parade  and  immense  expense  and 
these  Avearisome  ceremonies,  cheerfully  under- 


FIRST  HAIR-CUTTING. 


205 


taken  to  avert  from  the  king’s  daughter  imagin- 
ary evils,  from  which,  if  they  existed,  God  only 
could  protect,  and  to  induce  prosperity  which 
God  only  could  give ! Sad  indeed  it  is  to  reflect 
how  completely,  in  this  and  in  all  the  customs  of 
this  people,  all  reference  to  or  thought  of  the 
Lord  and  Maker  of  us  all,  on  whom  all  crea- 
tures are  dependent  for  every  blessing,  and 
whose  favor  is  life  and  true  happiness,  has 
been  shut  out. 

Let  us,  “whose  souls  are  lighted  by  wisdom 
from  on  high,”  pray  earnestly  for  these  boys  and 
girls  in  Siam,  who  now  trust  in  these  foolish  rites 
and  offerings  to  spirits  that  do  not  exist,  that  as 
they  enter  upon  manhood  and  womanhood  the 
blessing  of  the  almighty  One  may  rest  upon 
them,  so  that  they,  more  favored  than  those  be- 
fore them,  may  learn  and  believe  and  rejoice  in 
the  truth  as  it  is  in  Christ  the  Lord. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

THE  SCHOOLS  OF  SIAM. 

IN  Siam  schools  are  made  up  of  boys  and  girls, 
just  as  they  are  in  other  countries.  Bnt  the 
boys  and  girls  of  Siam  are  not  made  of  “ sugar 
and  spice  and  all  that’s  nice,”  but  of  fish  and 
fowl,  of  curry  and  rice,  of  onions  and  garlic,  and 
everything  nice.  And  they  seem  to  be  very  good 
materials  to  make  children  of,  too,  for  they  are 
usually  very  bright  and  clever. 

They  commit  to  memory  more  readily  than 
the  average  American  school-boy,  but  in  studies 
retpiiring  a process  of  reasoning  or  long-con- 
tinned  hard  work  they  would  probably  fall  be- 
hind. They  usually  begin  a new  study  or  work 
with  great  avidity,  but  often  tire  before  it  is  half 
finished.  The  average  Siamese  boy  of  nine  or 
ten  years  of  age  does  not  ask  more  than  a day  to 
learn  all  the  large  and  small  letters  of  the  Eng- 
lish alphabet,  and  a tiptop  student  will  only  want 
half  a day.  In  a year  afterward  he  will  be  able 
to  read  fluently  in  Wilsotis  Third  Reader,  and 
translate  it  all  into  his  own  language,  and  will 


206 


THE  SCHOOLS  OF  SIAM. 


207 


also  be  able  to  write  nicely  and  know  sometliiiig 
of  arithmetic. 

A teacher  of  a Siamese  school  need  have  little 
trouble  Avith  its  government  if  it  were  not  so  im- 
possible ever  to  be  sure  of  the  truth.  When  a 
boy  gets  into  mischief  he  always  plans  to  lie 
about  it ; and  he  can  do  it  Avith  such  an  air  of 
candor  that  he  Avill  make  the  teacher  almost  dis- 
believe his  OAvn  senses.  But  this  fault  is  doubt- 
less largely  owing  to  the  early  training  in  heathen 
homes  and  in  the  old-fashioned  “ Avat-schools”  of 
the  country. 

The  prevailing  religion  and  the  education  of  a 
country  usually  stand  side  by  side,  and  aid  each 
other.  Their  united  influence  is  sometimes  to 
spread  sunshine  and  prosperity  over  the  land, 
and  sometimes  to  fasten  the  chains  of  supersti- 
tion and  blight  the  moral  feelings  of  the  entire 
nation. 

Siam  is  no  exception  to  the  general  rule.  For 
centuries  the  Buddhist  temples  have  been  the 
only  “ temples  of  learning,”  and  the  men  Avho 
shave  their  heads,  dress  in  yelloAV  robes  and  beg 
their  food  have  performed  the  double  oflice  of 
pedagogue  and  priest.  It  would  seem  as  if  Siam 
ought  to  be  a highly-educated  country  Avlien  these 
mendicant  teachers  form  one-thirtieth  part  of  the 
entire  population,  and  Avhen  the  custom  of  the 
country  is  such  that  jAarents  usually  re(|uire  their 
sons  to  sjAend  all  the  years  of  boyhootl^and  youth 


208 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


under  the  care  of  these  teachers  in  the  temples. 
So  universal  is  this  custom  that  work  for  boys  is 
something  that  has  not  yet  been  invented  in  this 
country. 

As  soon  as  a little  boy  is  out  of  his  babyhood 
his  parents  at  once  begin  to  look  around  for  a 
desirable  teacher  for  him.  A priest  is  selected: 
usually  he  is  a friend  or  relative  of  the  parents, 
and  one  whom  they  think  they  can  trust  to  care 
for  and  educate  their  boy.  The  child  is  then 
taken  to  the  temple,  or  wat,  as  it  is  called,  and 
given  to  the  priest.  In  doing  this  the  parent 
gives  up  all  claim,  authority  and  oversight  of 
the  boy  to  the  priest,  often  closing  a long  speech 
on  the  subject  by  begging  the  priest  to  “whip 
him  a great  deal;  do  not  break  his  back  or  put 
out  his  eyes ; anything  less  than  that  you  can 
do : I won’t  say  a word.” 

While  the  child  is  in  the  wat  the  parent  is  ex- 
pected to  clothe  him  and  also  to  contribute  lib- 
erally to  the  lunch-basket  that  this  man  of  holy 
orders  carries  around  daily  to  have  filled  by 
pious  Buddhists.  The  child’s  most  important 
duty  now  is  to  wait  on  his  teacher,  follow  him 
on  his  morning  tramps,  paddle  his  boat,  serve 
his  food  and  be  ready  at  all  times  to  obey  his 
wishes. 

The  priest,  on  his  part,  is  expected  to  teach 
the  boy  to  read  and  write ; and  if  he  is  a very 
extraordinary  “ man  of  letters”  he  may  possibly 


THE  SCHOOLS  OF  SLUL 


209 


teach  the  first  principles  of  arithmetic ; this,  how- 
ever, is  a rare  accomplishment,  gained  only  by  the 
favored  few. 

But  whatever  else  these  Buddhist  schoolmas- 
ters fail  in  teaching,  there  is  one  lesson  that  they 
succeed  in  imparting  better  than  most  college 
professors  of  other  countries,  and  that  is  a feel- 
ing of  respect  on  the  part  of  their  pupils  for  their 
teachers,  no  matter  how  indifferently  the  work 
may  have  been  done.  No  matter  if  ten  years 
have  been  spent  in  doing  what  should  have  been 
done  in  as  many  months,  still,  any  Siamese  man 
would  be  branded  as  a wretched  ingrate  if  he  did 
not  through  all  his  life  honor  and  respect  the 
man  who  taught  him  to  read.  This  is  at  least 
one  good  thing  to  be  found  in  the  old-fashioned 
wat  education ; but  just  how  it  is  gained,  and 
where  the  secret  of  success  lies,  are  somewhat  of 
' a mystery. 

I Doubtless,  it  is  partly  owing  to  the  religious 
j element.  The  yellow-robes  themselves  are  ob- 
I jects  of  veneration,  and  Buddha,  as  it  is  claimed, 

1 was  only  a teacher,  so  that  the  office  of  teaching, 
! as  well  as  the  dress  of  the  teacher,  is  calculated 
to  inspire  fear  and  respect.  And  perhaps  the 
j birch  or  ratan  discipline,  which  is  often  terribly 
severe,  may  have  something  to  do  with  it.  A 
1 mistake  in  writing  or  spelling  usually  brings 
! doAvn  the  teacher’s  lash,  and  this  is  called  son 
hi  chum  (teaching  to  remember) ; for  a more 

14 


210 


SIAM  JiVZ)  LAOS. 


heinous  oftence  of  disobedience  or  want  of  re- 
spect toward  his  teacher  the  pupil’s  hands  are 
tied  around  a post,  and  then  he  is  whipped — not 
four  or  five  strokes,  but  it  is  one,  two  or  three 
dozen,  as  the  case  seems  to  require.  A teacher 
is  supposed  to  take  an  interest  in  his  pupil,  and 
the  pupil  to  be  ini])roving,  just  in  proportion 
to  the  amount  of  corporal  punishment  adminis- 
tered. 

One  day  a man  brought  his  boy  to  put  him 
into  the  “ King’s  School.”  After  the  arrange- 
ments were  all  made  and  he  was  about  to  say 
“ Good-bye”  to  his  boy,  he  turned  to  the  princi- 
pal of  the  school  and  said,  “Please  whip  him  a 
great  deal ; I want  him  to  learn  fast.  If  at  any 
time  you  think  he  deserves  one  dozen,  please  give 
him  two  dozen,  and  if  you  think  he  deserves  two 
dozen,  please  give  him  four  dozen.  Don’t  let  him 
be  a dunce.”  And  with  this  loving  injunction  he 
took  his  leave.  Another  little  boy  has  dropped 
out  of  the  same  school  entirely,  the  probable 
reason  being  that  his  grandmother’s  repeated 
request  to  te  hi  mak  mak  (whip  him  a great  deal) 
was  entirely  disregarded.  These  wat-schools — 
if  schools  they  may  be  called — are  free  from  all 
the  trammels  of  school  laws  and  school  commit- 
tees, each  teacher  being  left  free  to  follow  his 
own  will  in  everything.  Neither  are  there  any 
school-houses  or  school-furniture.  The  teacher 
seats  himself,  tailor-fashion,  on  the  floor  of  his  own 


THE  SCHOOLS  OF  SIAM. 


211 


filthy,  cheerless  room,  aud  his  pupils  sit  in  the 
same  way  around  him. 

There  is  only  one  school-book  (which  is  a kind 
of  combined  primer  and  reader),  and  after  that 
is  mastered  the  learner  must  practice  reading  on 
whatever  he  can  find ; it  may  be  a fabulous  tale, 
a drama  or  a ghost-story,  but  certainly  it  will  not 
be  a good  and  truthful  book  that  will  elevate  and 
improve  the  reader,  for  the  literature  of  Siam  has 
nothing  of  that  kind.  Occasionally  the  books 
that  have  been  prepared  by  the  missionaries  are 
found  in  the  hands  of  these  wat-boys,  but  that  is 
the  exception  and  not  the  rule. 

These  schools  have  no  regular  school-term, 
and  of  course  no  vacations;  no  regular  hours  for 
study,  and  of  course  none  for  play ; no  classes, 
and  of  course  no  emulation  and  no  chance  for  a 
dull  boy  to  be  helped  over  the  hard  places  by  his 
near  neighbor.  The  whole  work  is  controlled 
by  the  whim  of  the  teacher  at  the  time,  without 
principle  and  without  rule. 

If  a boy  recites  once  or  twice  a week,  all  is 
well,  and  if  he  recites  only  once  or  twice  a month, 
still  it  is  all  right ; and  if  in  the  course  of  eight 
or  ten  years  he  has  learned  very  little,  there  is 
no  one  to  complain.  He  has  at  least  been  kept 
out  of  the  way  at  home,  and  now  he  is  of  such 
an  age  that  he  can  become  a nain  and  spend  a 
feAv  more  years  in  obtaining  a smattering  of  the 
I’ali  or  sacred  language,  and  after  this  he  can  be- 


212 


SLUI  AND  LAOS. 


come  a full-fledged  priest,  wliicli  is  the  summit 
of  the  fondest  parent’s  wishes. 

While  a boy  is  at  a wat  he  is  not  usually  called 
a scholar  or  pupil,  but  a wat-hoy — a name  which 
generally  implies  everything  that  is  naughty. 
His  companions  are  idle,  vicious  fellows,  fond 
of  cockfighting,  swearing  and  gambling,  and  he 
grows  up  among  them  bad  just  in  proportion  as 
he  is  clever  and  gifted. 

The  conservative  men  of  Siam  are  bewailing 
these  latter  days,  and  among  other  things  they 
aver  that  wat  education  is  not  what  it  was  in  the 
good  old  times  long  ago — that  then  the  priests 
were  more  strict  with  their  boys,  and  made  them 
work  and  study  more  than  they  do  now.  This 
may  be  so.  But  if  the  men  who  were  educated 
in  the  temples  years  ago,  and  who  should  now  be 
the  j)illars  and  producers  of  the  country,  are  to 
be  taken  as  exponents  of  what  that  system  of 
education  can  do  for  manhood,  then  we  may 
safely  infer  that  temple-life  was  at  that  time 
just  what  it  is  now — a school  of  idleness  and 
vice,  and  those  who  leave  its  haunts  are  fitted 
only  for  a lazy,  aimless  existence.  This  the 
natives  themselves  freely  admit,  and  the  time 
has  evidently  come  when  something  better  is 
demanded. 

While  Siam  has  been  doing,  perhaps,  the  best 
she  knew  for  her  sons,  her  daughters  in  some  re- 
spects have  been  much  better  off.  They  are  not 


THE  SCHOOLS  OF  SIAM. 


213 


supposed  to  need  any  edueation,  and  are  therefore 
trained  from  childhood  to  help  their  mothers  with 
all  kinds  of  heavy  as  w’ell  as  light  work.  Thus 
it  comes  to  pass  that  the  girls  grow  up  to  he  the 
“hewers  of  wood  and  drawers  of  water,”  the 
planters  and  the  traders  of  Siam,  wdiile  the  in- 
fluence of  their  brothers  is  to  a great  extent  a 
dead  weight  on  the  prosperity  of  the  country. 

And  now  wdiat  have  missionaries  done  to  show 
Siam  a better  way  ? Christianity  implies  knowd- 
edge,  and  missionaries  believe  in  schools.  “ The 
Oriental  mind  is  quick  in  childhood,  but  early 
stops  its  grow'th  then  to  civilize  and  Christian- 
ize such  a people  the  most  hopeful  j^lan  is  to 
begin  with  the  children.  So,  wherever  a Pres- 
byterian mission  has  been  established  in  Siam 
the  church  and  the  school  have  grown  up  to- 
gether. 

The  mission-school  for  boys  in  Bangkok  was 
opened  in  the  early  days  of  the  work  there,  and 
through  all  these  years  it  has  been  doing  a grand 
work  in  educating  the  children  of  the  Church  as 
well  as  those  brought  to  it  from  heathen  families, 
wdio  have  often  carried  the  blessed  truths  of  the 
Bible  with  them  to  their  heathen  homes.  In 
this,  which  was  the  first  mission-school  in  Siam, 
many  plans  have  been  tried  and  much  valuable 
experience  gained. 

In  Siam,  as  in  other  Eastern  countries,  the 
native  mind  is  becoming  roused  to  seek  for 


214 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


knowledge,  and  there  is  a growing  desire  to 
learn  the  English  language.  This  wish  draws 
many  into  the  boys’  school  who  would  not  other- 
wise be  found  there.  Trade  and  commerce  are 
calling  for  clerks  and  assistants  who  have  a 
knowledge  of  English,  and  a boy  with  only  a 
smattering  of  the  coveted  foreign  tongue  is  in 
demand  at  high  wages,  and  is  thus  often  induced 
to  leave  school  long  before  he  is  fit  for  a bus- 
iness-life. This  at  present  is  a great  detriment 
to  all  the  schools,  but  as  the  demand  becomes 
supplied  a higher  standard  will  be  necessary  and 
a more  thorough  education  sought. 

In  the  boys’  mission-school  it  has  been  found 
necessary  to  have  all  who  enter  make  a written 
promise  to  remain  a specified  number  of  years,  so 
as  to  ensure  a reasonable  knowledge  of  English 
and  a better  knowledge  of  that  more  important 
lesson,  that  “ God  so  loved  the  world  that  he 
gave  his  only-begotten  Son.”  There  is  hardly 
a business-house  in  Bangkok  that  does  not  have 
one  or  more  than  one  young  man  in  its  employ 
Avho  has  been  educated  in  the  mission-school, 
and  some  of  them  are  consistent  Christian  men, 
a credit  to  their  teachers  and  an  honor  to  the 
school. 

Buddhism  is  planned  only  for  men,  and  so 
girls  are  not  taught  in  the  wat-schools ; but  as 
the  religion  of  Jesus  takes  in  the  whole  family, 
misson-work  would  be  lame  indeed  without  its 


A SCHOOL  IN  SIAM 


216 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


schools  for  girls.  In  the  East  knowledge  is 
thought  to  he  not  only  unnecessary,  hut  posi- 
tively injurious,  to  women  ; so  when  the  mission- 
ary ladies  first  tried  to  gather  up  })upils  for  a 
girls’  school  they  met  with  all  kinds  of  objections 
from  the  parents.  In  the  first  place,  they  could 
not  understand  the  motives.  How  could  any  one 
he  so  unselfish  as  to  spend  time  in  teaching  a lot 
of  girls  without  any  compensation  ? They  did 
not  believe  it.  So  at  once  evil-minded  persons 
spread  infamous  tales,  and  explained  the  thing 
by  affirming  that  it  was  only  a trick  to  secure 
the  children,  and  by  and  by  they  would  be  sent 
to  America  and  sold  as  slaves. 

Another  objection  was  that  for  girls  to  go  to 
school  was  altogether  ayainsl  the  custom,  and  that, 
of  itself,  was  enough  in  Siam.  Again,  suppose 
they  went  to  school  and  learned  to  read,  then 
they  would  know  more  than  their  mothers,  and 
how  could  they  honor  and  respect  their  parents, 
as  they  were  in  duty  bound  to  do? 

But  the  greatest  objection  of  all  was  that  the 
girls  were  the  workers  in  the  family,  and  if  they 
were  to  spend  the  day  in  school  who  would  ha 
kin  (seek  a living)  for  the  family  ? And  this 
seemed  to  be  a real  difficulty. 

The  question  of  bread  and  meat,  or  rather  rice 
and  fish,  the  missionary  could  neither  ignore  nor 
argue  away.  These  heathen  mothers  in  this  re- 
s})ect  were  just  like  other  human  beings:  they 


THE  SCHOOLS  OF  SIA  V. 


217 


would  not  willingly  give  up  tlieir  daughters’ 
help  at  home,  which  was  of  real  value  to  the 
whole  family,  for  an  education  which  they  be- 
lieved would  be  injurious  in  every  way.  They 
hated  the  new  religion  and  despised  the  offered 
education. 

As  far  as  could  be  seen  then,  there  was  but 
one  way  out  of  the  difficulty ; and  so  the  ques- 
tion was  asked,  “ How  much  can  your  girl  earn 
per  day?”  and  the  old  mother  answered,  “When 
she  finds  work  she  makes  a faany  per  day” 
(seven  and  a half  cents).  Then  said  the  mis- 
sionary, “ Send  her  to  me,  and  I will  let  her 
spend  half  the  day  in  learning  to  read  and  the 
other  half  in  working,  and  for  her  work  I will 
pay  her  a fuang.”  At  this  the  mother  began  to 
waver,  and  at  last  said,  “ I am  very  poor,  and 
sometimes  it  is  hard  to  find  work,  so  I will  let 
her  try  it.”  The  next  morning  the  industrial 
school  for  girls  at  Petchaburee  was  opened  with 
one  scholar,  and  she  was  seated  on  the  floor  of 
the  veranda  of  the  mission-house,  and  for  nearly 
a month  there  were  no  additions.  But  there  are 
times  when  it  is  safe  to  wait.  A very  simple 
white  jacket  was  cut,  and  Perm  was  taught  to 
make  it  for  herself.  After  many  days,  and  with 
pushing  the  needle  from  her  instead  of  drawing 
it  toward  her,  and  with  holding  the  seam  be- 
tween her  little  bare  toes  instead  of  pinning  it  to 
her  knee,  the  jacket  was  pronounced  finished  and 


218 


HI  AM  A XI)  LAOS. 


ready  to  wear — the  first  the  child  liad  ever  owned 
in  lier  life.  Then  she  was  allowed  to  take  some 
soap  and  give  herself  a bath,  and  then  to  don  her 
new  jacket  and  a new  waist-cloth.  That  evening, 
when  she  went  home,  she  was  the  hap|)iest  child 
in  the  village,  and  served  as  a good  advertisement 
of  the  new-fashioned  school.  Before  very  long  the 
veranda  and  the  missionary’s  hands  were  both 
fnll. 

That  was  seventeen  years  ago,  and  from  that 
time  to  this  the  school  has  been  carried  on,  and 
done  a grand  good  work  in  many  respects — one 
of  the  most  important  of  which  is  that  it  has 
furnished  teachers  for  five  branch  schools  that 
have  been  established  in  different  localities 
around  it.  Many  of  its  ])upils  are  now  industri- 
ous and  ])ious  wives  and  mothers  at  the  head 
of  Christian  families,  while  a few  have  gone,  as 
there  is  good  reason  to  believe,  to  finish  their 
education  in  heaven. 

Some  object  strongly  to  the  plan  of  giving 
money  to  tlie  pupils  of  mission-schools,  and 
perhaps  elsewhere : giving  hoarding  instead  of 
money,  or  some  other  plan,  might  be  better ; 
but  after  so  many  years  of  experience  those  in 
charge  are  fully  convinced  that  for  Petchaburee 
this  is  the  only  feasible  plan. 

If  a respectable,  self-reliant  Church  is  ever 
built  up  in  Siam,  it  will  be  by  cultivating  the 
graces  of  industry,  cleanliness  and  godliness 


THE  SCHOOLS  OF  SIAM. 


219 


together ; and  the  best  place  to  do  this  is  in 
well-appointed  industrial  schools.  Would  that 
such  could  be  established  all  over  the  country 
for  both  boys  and  girls,  and  then  we  might 
reasonably  hope  that  some  time  the  number  of 
idle  loungers  might  grow  “beautifully  less”! 

A few  years  ago  the  king  showed  his  appreci- 
ation of  what  this  school  was  doing  for  his  peo- 
ple when  he  gave  a donation  of  two  thousand 
dollars  to  help  furnish  the  new  school-building. 

Some  years  after  the  girls’  school  at  Petcha- 
buree  was  started  a school  was  established  for 
girls  in  Bangkok,  but  on  a different  plan  in 
some  respects,  the  former  being  a day-school 
and  for  the  working  classes,  while  the  latter  is  a 
boarding-school  and  for  a higher  class  of  pupils. 
In  this  school  instruction  is  given  in  both  the  na- 
tive and  English  languages,  and  the  industries 
are  principally  ornamental.  Some  specimens  of 
the  work  done  in  this  school  were  put  into  the 
Centennial  Exhibition  in  1882,  and  His  Majesty 
paid  a pleasant  compliment  to  the  school  when  he 
purchased  the  entire  lot  for  use  in  the  royal  palace. 

A knowledge  of  what  the  mission-schools  are 
doing  for  those  under  their  care  no  doubt  at  first 
suggested  to  His  Majesty’s  mind  the  idea  of  in- 
augurating something  in  the  way  of  government 
schools  that  would  be  after  the  American  model 
and  entirely  different  from  the  wat-schools.  As 
a first  step,  the  “King’s  School”  was  planned,  and 


220 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


at  the  king’s  request  was  placed  in  charge  of  one 
of  the  American  missionaries. 

As  yet,  this  scliool  is  only  an  infant  in  years, 
and  no  prophet  has  been  found  wise  enough  to 
foretell  what  its  future  may  be.  It  has  passed 
through  all  the  diseases  incident  to  childhood 
and  youth,  and  some  of  them  have  been  of  a 
most  malignant  nature.  But,  what  was  worst  of 
all,  its  doctors  could  never  agree  as  to  where  the 
trouble  was  or  what  remedies  should  be  used.  At 
length,  however,  it  began  to  improve,  and  now,  at 
four  years  of  age,  it  begins  to  breathe  freely  and 
develop  in  strength  and  manly  beauty.  May 
Heaven’s  richest  ble.ssing  rest  upon  it,  and  may 
God  grant  that  the  strength  of  its  manhood  may 
be  consecrated  to  his  service  ! 

Difficulties  are  to  be  expected  in  the  prosecu- 
tion of  every  new  enterprise,  and  the  most  hope- 
ful friends  of  the  King’s  School  have  not  been 
much  disappointed  with  its  various  trials.  The 
committee  to  whose  care  His  Majesty  committed 
this  school  were  entirely  unused  to  educational 
affairs,  and  for  want  of  experience  many  and 
serious  blunders  were  made.  But  experience 
has  taught  useful  lessons  for  future  use,  and  the 
time  seems  to  be  near  when  steps  will  be  taken 
to  provide  something  better  to  take  the  place  of 
the  wat-school. 

The  native  mind  is  being  directed  to  this  sub- 
ject as  never  before.  A striking  proof  of  this 


THE  SCHOOLS  OF  SIAM. 


221 


fact  is,  that  the  queen,  who  is  a most  zealous 
Buddhist,  is  now  having  a large  and  beautiful 
school-building  put  up  as  a monument  to  her 
royal  sister,  who  was  drowned  two  years  ago. 
This  building  is  not  yet  finished,  and  it  is  not 
known  just  how  it  is  to  be  managed ; but  it  cer- 
tainly seems  to  mark  a new  era,  as  heretofore 
Buddhist  temples  were  the  only  memorial  build- 
ings in  the  country. 

One  great  question  for  the  near  future  seems 
to  be.  What  kind  of  influences  will  mould  and 
shape  this  new  educational  work?  Will  it  be 
the  English  moralist,  the  French  Jesuit,  the  Ger- 
man infidel  or  the  American  Christian?  The 
king  plainly  intimated  his  wishes  when  he  asked 
a missionary  to  take  charge  of  the  school  under 
his  own  patronage.  And  wliile  at  that  time  there 
were  hardly  missionaries  enough  in  Siam  to  hold 
on  to  the  direct  mission-work,  still  the  hope  of 
securing  the  vantage-ground  for  Christianity  was 
such  that  the  request  could  not  be  refused.  And 
although,  as  yet,  direct  religious  instruction  cannot 
be  a part  of  the  daily  routine  of  the  school-room, 
there  is  no  need  to  be  in  haste.  Much  must  first 
be  done  to  disarm  prejudice  and  to  conciliate  the 
minds  of  conservative  Buddhists,  and  prove  to 
them  that  the  missionaries  are  true  friends,  who 
labor  for  the  highest  welfare  of  the  country. 
When  that  shall  be  made  evident,  more  liberty 
will  be  accorded  to  Christian  instructors. 


222 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


Some  of  the  members  of  the  royal  family  are 
afraid  to  trust  the  heir-a])parent  and  his  royal 
brothers  to  the  influence  of  Christianity ; so  a 
Calcutta  Brahman  has  been  employed  and  a 
school  started  in  the  palace.  A friend  went  to 
visit  this  school  one  day,  and  the  teacher  handed 
some  writing-books  to  the  visitor  to  let  him  see 
how  well  the  little  princes  could  write.  Almost 
the  first  page  he  looked  at  had  this  as  a copy : 
“ The  fear  of  the  Lord  is  the  beginning  of  wis- 
dom.” This  shows  what  unexpected  means  God 
sometimes  takes  to  teach  the  truths  of  his  own 
word,  and  how  foolish  it  is  for  any  one  to  sup- 
pose that  the  English  language  can  be  learned 
without  learning  the  religion  of  Jesus  at  the 
same  time.  May  this  not  be  the  great  good  that 
God  in  his  providence  means  to  bring  out  of  this 
universal  desire  for  a knowledge  of  the  English 
language?  It  is  so  full  of  Christianity  that  to 
know  the  one  is  to  know  the  other. 

]\Iay  we  not  hope  that  our  mother-tongue  may 
some  day  become  the  language  of  all  nations, 
and  that  Christianity  may  be  the  religion  of  the 
world  ? 


fp:w  of  thf,  children  of  the  late  first  kino  of  Siam. 


CHAPTER  XI r. 


HOLIDAYS  IN  SIAM. 

Siamese  holidays  are  very  different  from 
those  of  Europe  and  America.  They  have 
no  Christmas,  for,  as  a nation,  they  know  nothing 
about  Christ.  Their  New  Year  holidays,  strange 
to  say,  are  not  celebrated  in  the  first  month  of  the 
year,  but  in  the  fifth,  which  corresponds  to  our 
IMarcli  or  A])ril.  On  one  of  the  three  days  that 
they  then  observe  the  doors  of  the  temples  are 
thrown  open,  and  the  people — women  and  chil- 
dren especially — dressed  in  their  best  attire,  en- 
ter, and,  bowing  down  before  the  idol,  make  offer- 
ings of  flowers.  The  more  wealthy  have  prayers 
and  preaching  at  their  own  houses,  when  they 
feast  the  priests  and  make  presents  to  them. 
During  these  days  all  are  allowed  to  gamble, 
and  men,  women  and  children  engage  in  games 
of  chance  with  all  their  hearts.  On  New  Year’s 
Day  we,  in  Christian  lands,  pray  our  heavenly 
Father  to  watch  over  and  bless  us  and  our 
friends  throuo-h  the  vear.  In  •this  heathen 

o */ 

land  the  king  has  companies  of  priests  on  the 
tops  of  the  walls  around  the  city  proper  going 

224 


HOLIDAYS  IN  SIAM. 


225 


tlirongil  certain  ceremonies  in  concert  to  drive 
away  evil  spirits,  and  on  one  of  these  nights 
large  and  small  guns  are  fired  for  this  purpose 
from  the  top  of  the  walls  every  twenty  minutes 
till  morning. 

Soon  after  New  Year’s  Day,  and  again  some 
six  months  later,  the  Siamese  princes,  lords  and 
nobles,  and  all  among  the  peo^de  who  hold  any 
office,  however  small,  take  the  oath  of  allegiance. 
They  assemble  at  the  royal  palace  and  drink  the 
“ water  of  vengeance”  and  sprinkle  it  upon  their 
foreheads.  Do  you  ask,  “ What  is  the  water  of 
vengeance?”  It  is  water  in  Avhich  have  been 
dipped  swords,  daggers,  spears  and  other  instru- 
ments b}^  which  the  king  executes  vengeance  on 
those  who  rebel  against  him.  By  drinking  of  it 
they  express  their  willingness  to  be  punished  with 
these  instruments  if  found  disloyal.  The  priests 
are  excused  from  this  service  by  virtue  of  the 
sanctity  of  their  office,  but  they  meet  in  the  royal 
temple  on  that  day  and  perform  appropriate  re- 
ligions services.  Some  of  this  water  is  sent  to 
the  residences  of  the  governors  in  the  distant 
provinces,  and  the  neighboring  people  assemble 
there  to  drink  it. 

Soon  after  the  ceremony  of  taking  the  oath  of 
allegiance  the  Siamese  have  for  four  days  a kind 
of  second  New  Year,  the  time  for  which  is  fixed 
by  the  sun  instead  of  the  moon.  The  j^riests  are 
invited  to  meet  at  the  palace  for  a royal  festival, 

15 


226 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


ami  the  people  too  feast  the  priests  and  one  an- 
other and  i)lay  at  their  games  of  chance.  The 
women  bring  water,  and  bathe  first  the  idols,  and 
then  their  grandparents  and  other  aged  relatives, 
by  pouring  water  freely  upon  them. 

They  observe  three  days  of  their  sixth  month 
with  very  great  veneration  as  the  anniversaries 
of  the  birth,  the  attaining  to  divinity  and  the 
death  of  Buddha.  These  three  days  are  a great 
time  for  “ making  merit,”  which  they  think  they 
do  by  giving  to  the  poor,  by  making  offerings  to 
the  priests  and  to  the  idols  and  by  listening  to 
prayers  and  preaching.  All  classes,  young  and 
old,  high  and  low,  rich  and  poor,  go  to  the  teni- 
j)le-grounds  and  make  little  conical  mounds  of 
sand  a foot  or  two  high,  surmounted  with  flowers 
and  small  flags  of  all  colors. 

At  the  beginning  of  seed-time,  generally  in 
May,  the  time  being  fixed  by  astrologers,  they 
have  their  Ralcnah  holiday,  Avhen  the  minister 
of  agriculture  is  for  the  day  regarded  as  king, 
because  he,  as  the  king’s  substitute,  holds  the 
plough,  breaks  up  the  ground  and  plants  the 
first  rice  of  the  year.  He  is  escorted  by  a pub- 
lic procession  to  some  field,  and  there  the  priests, 
after  superstitious  ceremonies,  decorate  a pair  of 
oxen  with  flowers  and  fasten  them  to  a plough, 
which  is  also  trimmed  with  flowers.  The  minis- 
ter then  holds  the  plough  while  the  oxen  drag  it 
over  the  ground  for  about  an  hour.  Four  elderly 


HOLIDAYS  IN  SIAM. 


227 


women  from  the  king’s  household  scatter  rice 
over  the  ploughed  part  of  the  field,  and  leave  it 
there  uncovered.  The  oxen  are  then  liberated, 
and  four  kinds  of  the  grain  that  the  people  most 
prize  are  placed  before  them.  Whichever  kind 
they  eat  much  of  the  people  think  will  be  scarce ; 
that  of  which  they  eat  little  or  none  they  think 
will  be  abundant  throughout  the  year,  and  they 
plant  accordingly. 

They  have  two  holidays  every  year  for  swing- 
ing, when  the  minister  of  agriculture  is  carried 
by  a long  procession  to  a place  where  there  is  a 
high  swing  between  two  tall  poles.  A brick 
platform  covered  with  white  muslin  and  taste- 
fully curtained  has  been  prepared  for  him.  At- 
tended by  four  Brahman  priests,  two  on  his 
right  hand  and  two  on  his  left,  he  ascends  this 
platform  and  stands  on  one  foot  till  three  games 
of  swinging  are  ended,  which  generally  occupy 
two  hours.  If  he  ventures  to  touch  his  foot 
once  to  the  floor  during  the  games,  it  is  said  the 
Brahmans  are  allowed  to  take  all  his  property 
from  him.  The  game  is  to  catch  in  the  mouth 
a purse  of  money  that  is  suspended  within  reach 
of  the  swinger.  When  the  games  are  over  the 
swingers  sprinkle  on  all  about  them  water  that 
has  been  made  holy  by  the  priests.  This  is  the 
Brahmanical  mode  of  calling  down  blessings  on 
the  people  of  the  land.  About  noon  the  minister 
is  escorted  home  by  a procession  similar  to  the 


228 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


one  that  took  him  there.  These  ceremonies  and 
games  are  repeated  on  the  second  day.  Princes 
and  officers  of  government  and  dense  crowds  of 
the  people  are  present  to  witness  them. 

The  Siamese  observe  a season  that  may  be 
called  the  Buddhist  Lent,  when  for  three 
months  the  priests  must  not  go  so  far  away 
from  their  temples  as  not  to  be  able  to  return  at 
night.  All  classes  antici]:)ate  this  season,  and 
provide  for  them  such  food  as  parched  rice  and 
corn,  also  natural  and  artificial  flowers,  silvered 
and  gilded  trees,  and  other  articles  to  make  their 
dormitories  pleasant  and  inviting.  The  day  these 
gifts  are  presented  is  called  the  Kow  Wasah  holi- 
day. Some  of  the  gifts  the  priests  ofier  to  the 
idol ; others  they  }>resent  to  their  elders  and  to 
aged  priests  in  the  same  temple  with  themselves. 

When  the  Buddhist  Lent  is  ended  and  the 
priests  are  allowed  to  come  out  of  the  teiu})les 
and  travel  where  they  please,  the  Auk  Wasah 
holidays  are  observed.  In  anticipation  of  their 
coming  out,  as  of  their  going  in,  the  laity,  from 
the  highest  to  the  lowest,  prepare  clothing  suit- 
able for  their  wanderings.  The  kings  have 
numerous  priests’  robes  made  of  white  cotton 
shirting  dyed  yellow,  which  is  the  sacred  color. 
The  people  prepare  gifts  according  to  their 
means.  The  first  three  evenings  there  is  a 
grand  display  of  fireworks  on  the  river  in 
front  of  the  palaces.  His  Majesty  honoring  the 


HOLIDAYS  IN  SIAM. 


229 


occasion  with  his  presence.  The  river  is  alive 
with  joyous,  pleasure-seeking  people  hastening 
to  the  scene.  Offerings  consisting  of  little  skiffs 
and  rafts  of  banana-stalks  are  seen  upon  the 
river.  On  these  are  temples,  pagodas  and  trans- 
parencies of  birds  and  beasts,  all  brightly  illu- 
minated with  wax  candles.  They  are  sent  off  one 
at  a time,  and  float  down  with  the  tide,  beauti- 
fully illuminating  the  river.  The  people  make 
their  own  family  offerings  on  these  evenings  an 
hour  or  two  before  the  king  comes  out  from  the 
palace ; the  floats  may  be  seen  all  over  the  city  in 
the  river  and  canals  near  their  homes.  When 
these  floats  have  all  been  disposed  of,  the  king 
applies  a match  to  fireworks  that  have  been 
arranged  in  boats  near,  and  then  are  seen  trees 
of  fire,  green  shrubbery  and  a variety  of  flowers 
of  ever-changing  colors,  with  rockets  and  squibs 
in  great  profusion. 

A few  days  later  commence  the  Taut  Katin 
ceremonies,  or  the  annual  visitation  of  the  kings 
to  the  sixty  or  seventy  royal  temples  to  perform 
their  devotions  and  make  offerings  to  the  priests. 
This  is  one  of  the  great  events  of  the  year — a fes- 
tival season  with  the  people.  The  temples  near 
the  palace  within  the  city-walls  are  first  visited. 
His  Majesty,  seated  on  an  elegant  golden  chair 
of  state  sparkling  with  gems,  is  borne  on  men’s 
shoulders  and  followed  by  princes  and  nobles  in 
costly  carriages  and  by  other  vehicles  loaded  with 


230 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


j)reseiits  of  various  kinds.  Then  for  some  twelve 
days  he,  with  all  his  princes,  ministers  of  state 
and  high  nobles,  makes  a business  of  visiting 
daily  some  three  or  four  of  the  temples  that  are 
accessible  only  by  water,  and  after  this  the  second 
king  makes  his  visits.  The  river  presents  a very 
animated  appearance  as  the  boat-processions  pass 
escorting  His  Majesty.  It  is  filled  with  barges, 
slender  and  graceful  in  their  proportions,  each 
propelled  by  from  forty  to  eighty  natives,  who 
fill  the  air  with  their  wild  outcries  as  they  simul- 
taneously dip  their  long  paddles  into  the  water 
and  then  raise  them  high  into  the  air.  First, 
two  by  two,  will  be  a score  of  canoe-like  vessels, 
each  perhaps  fifty  feet  long,  with  a bright  crim- 
son awning  over  the  centre  and  some  sixty  or 
seventy  men  in  red  uniform ; then  boats  with 
music  preceding  the  stately  barge  that  conveys 
His  Majesty.  This  is  perhaps  one  hundred  and 
twenty  feet  long,  besides  the  gilded  stern,  which 
curves  gracefully  up  some  fifteen  or  twenty  feet 
from  the  water.  From  prow  and  stern  hang  two 
graceful  plumes  of  long  white  horse-hair,  and  be- 
tween them  a small  apron-like  banner  floats  in 
the  breeze.  In  the  centre  of  the  boat  reclines 
His  Majesty  on  an  elevated  cushioned  platform, 
in  a pavilion  with  an  arching  roof  from  which 
hang  curtains  of  crimson-and-gold  cloth.  The 
barge  is  propelled  by  eighty  men  with  long 
gilded  paddles.  Following  the  king  will  be  a 


rAKUVlxr:  the  KlXf;  to  the  tempi.e. 


232 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


crowd  of  similar  elegant  boats  with  the  princes 
and  nobles.  These  boats  hover  near  in  clusters 
of  sevens  or  fives  or  threes,  and  after  them  others, 
till  there  is  a train  of  eighty  or  a hundred  boats, 
containing  perhaps  four  thousand  men.  All  this 
is  a splendid  sight,  but  the  Christian  beholder  is 
pained  by  the  thought  that  the  display  is  to  do 
honor  to  a false  religion  and  a false  god. 

AV’hile  the  kings  are  thus  engaged  the  com- 
mon people  in  city  and  country  are  visiting 
their  favorite  temples  and  jiriests.  Families 
unite,  and  groups  of  boats  may  be  seen  filled 
with  young  men  and  maidens  in  their  gayest 
attire,  while  the  air  resounds  with  Siamese  in- 
strumental music  and  the  merry  shouts  of  the 
boatmen  as  they  convey  their  presents  of  priests’ 
robes,  fruit  and  flowers  to  the  temple. 

The  visitation  of  the  temples  over,  the  Taut 
Katin  ceremonies  wind  up  with  a repetition  for 
three  evenings  of  fireworks  much  the  same  as 
already  described. 

Superstition  and  the  worship  of  idols  enter  not 
only  into  the  holidays  of  the  Siamese,  but  into 
everything  they  do.  “ They  praise  the  gods  of 
silver  and  gold,  of  brass,  iron,  wood  and  stone, 
which  see  not,  nor  hear,  nor  know : and  the  God 
in  whose  hand  their  breath  is,  and  whose  are  all 
their  ways,  they  have  not  glorified  “ Happy  is 
that  peoj^le  whose  God  is  the  Lord.” 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


VISIT  TO  A GAMBLING  ESTABLISHMENT. 

I HAVE  just  now  returned  from  exploring  a 
celebrated  gambling  establishment  near  my 
bouse.  It  is  a floating  bouse  occuj)ied  by  a 
Chinaman.  Chinamen  are  the  master-gamblers 
of  Siam. 

All  the  front  of  the  room  in  which  the  gam- 
blers are  seated  is  open  to  the  river.  As  you 
pass  along  you  may  see  them  in  a brilliant  light, 
sitting  in  two  parties  on  the  floor,  and  most  in- 
terested in  their  bewitching  games.  Just  in  front 
is  a little  recess  on  a float,  which  is  occupied  by 
the  musicians  and  play-actors.  Here  you  will 
at  one  time  hear  the  deafening  peals  of  the  gong, 
the  horns  through  which  they  speak  making  un- 
earthly sounds,  then  the  grating  notes  of  their 
various  stringed  instruments,  then  all  together 
with  human  voices  the  most  unmusical  imagin- 
able. 

Between  these  play-actors  and  the  gamblers 
there  is  a paper  screen,  with  lamplight  on  the 
side  of  the  performers,  where  a man  is  employed 
in  making  shadow  puppet-shows  for  the  amuse- 

233 


284 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


which  are  licensed  by  government.  They  afford 
no  small  amount  of  revenue,  but  they  are,  single- 
handed,  undermining  the  pillars  of  this  kingdom. 
Three  days  in  the  year  the  people  are  allowed  to 
gamble  as  they  ])lease. 


nient  of  the  spectators,  and  no  doubt  contribut- 
ing to  the  fascinating  power  of  the  gambling- 
shop. 

There  are  many  such  establishments  down  the 
river,  and  probably  many  hundred  in  Bangkok, 


SIAMESE  ACTRESS. 


VISIT  TO  A GAMBLING  ESTABLISHMENT  235 


This  sin  will  assuredly  be  the  ruin  of  this  na- 
tion unless  there  is  a speedy  reformation. 

Note. — “ Play  usually  begins  late  in  the  afternoon,  and 
lasts  half  the  night.  At  one  end  of  a Chinese  gambling- 
saloon  is  often  an  altar,  and  on  it  a figure  of  the  god  of  luck. 
When  tired  of  gambling  the  Siamese  adjourn  to  the  neigh- 
boring theatre,  where  they  spend  an  hour  or  two  watching 
the  Lakons’  theatrical  performances,  in  which  only  girls,  as  a 
rule,  take  part.” 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


SIAMESE  THEORY  AND  PRACTICE  OF  MEDICINE. 

Nature,  according  to  the  Siamese,  is  made 
up  of  four  elements — namely,  earth,  fire, 
wind  and  water. 

The  human  body  is  supposed  to  be  composed 
of  the  same  elements,  which  they  divide  into  two 
classes — visible  and  invisible.  To  the  former 
belong  everything  that  can  be  seen,  as  the  bones, 
flesh,  blood,  etc. ; to  the  latter,  the  wind  and  the 
fire. 

The  body  is  composed  of  twenty  kinds  of 
earth,  twelve  kinds  of  water,  six  kinds  of  wind 
and  four  kinds  of  fire.  The  varieties  of  wind 
are  as  follows ; The  first  kind  passes  from  the 
head  to  the  feet,  and  the  second  variety  from  the 
feet  to  the  head ; the  third  variety  resides  above 
the  diaphragm,  and  the  fourth  circulates  in  the 
arteries,  forming  the  pulse ; the  fifth  enters  the 
lungs,  and  the  sixth  resides  in  the  intestines. 
The  four  kinds  of  fire  are — first,  that  which 
gives  the  body  its  natural  temperature ; the 
second,  that  which  causes  a higher  temperature, 
as  after  exercise  or  in  fevers ; the  third  variety 

236 


SIAMESE  PRACTICE  OF  MEDICINE. 


237 


causes  digestion,  and  the  fourth  causes  old  age. 
The  Siamese  divide  the  body  into  thirty-two 
parts,  as  the  skin,  heart,  lungs,  etc.  The  body 
is  subject  to  ninety-six  diseases,  due  to  the  dis- 
arrangement of  the  earth,  wind,  fire  and  water. 
Thus,  if  there  is  an  undue  proportion  of  fire  we 
have  one  of  the  fevers.  Dropsies  are  caused  by 
too  great  a proportion  of  water,  and  wind  causes 
all  manner  of  complaints.  Nine  out  of  ten  of 
the  natives,  when  asked  what  is  the  matter  with 
them,  answer  “Pen  lom”  (“wind”). 

The  external  elements  are  constantly  acting 
upon  the  elements  making  up  the  body,  causing 
health  or  disease.  Thus,  in  the  hot  season  they 
believe  we  are  more  liable  to  fevers,  and  during 
the  wet  season  too  much  water  is  absorbed,  caus- 
ing dropsy.  Earth  is  supposed  to  produce  dis- 
ease by  invisible  and  impalpable  mists  and 
vapors. 

Spirits  are  supposed  to  have  great  power  over 
our  bodies,  deranging  the  elements  and  producing 
all  manner  of  diseases.  The  minds  of  the  natives 
are  thus  held  in  continual  bondage  for  fear  of 
the  spirits,  for  no  one  knows  what  great  sins  he 
may  have  committed  in  a previous  state  of  exist- 
ence for  which  he  may  be  called  upon  to  suffer 
at  any  moment.  Thus  the  people  are  constantly 
endeavoring  to  propitiate  the  spirits  by  presents, 
incantations,  etc. 

In  the  time  of  Buddha  lived  one  still  wor- 


238 


SIAM  ANT)  LAOS. 


sliiped  as  the  father  of  medicine.  To  him  it  is 
said  the  plants  all  spoke,  telling  their  names  and 
medical  properties.  These  were  written  in  books, 
and  have  become  sacred.  If  they  fail  to  produce 
the  effects  attributed  to  them,  the  fault  is  never 
theirs,  but  the  want  of  success  is  due  to  the 
absence  of  merit  in  either  doctor  or  patient. 
The  natives  use  almost  everything  as  medicine; 
the  bones  and  skins  of  various  animals  occupy 
a large  part  of  their  })harmacopoeia,  while  the 
galls  of  snakes,  tigers,  lizards,  etc.  are  among 
the  most  valuable  of  their  medicines.  Many  of 
the  Siamese  remedies  are  very  com})licated,  be- 
ing composed  of  scores  of  different  ingredients. 

The  following  is  a characteristic  prescrij^tion 
for  the  bite  of  a snake : A portion  of  the  jaw  of 
a wild  hog ; a portion  of  the  jaw  of  a tame  hog ; 
a portion  of  the  jaw  of  a goat;  a portion  of  goose- 
bone;  a portion  of  peacock-bone;  a portion  of  the 
tail  of  a fish  ; a })ortion  of  the  head  of  a venom- 
ous snake.  These,  being  duly  compounded,  form 
a popular  remedy  when  the  venom  has  caused 
lockjaw. 

Many  other  native  remedies  are  equally  mar- 
velous, but  I cannot  mention  them.  Every 
native  physician  has  an  image  of  the  father  of 
medicine  in  his  house.  The  drugs  are  i)laced  in 
this  idol’s  hand  and  receive  his  blessing ; after- 
ward they  are  taken  to  the  patient’s  house  and 
boiled  in  earthen  pots,  a wickerwork  star  being 


SIAMESE  PRACTICE  OF  MEDICINE. 


239 


placed  below  and  above  the  drugs  to  give  the 
medicines  strength.  The  patient  is  usually 
obliged  to  swallow  many  potsful  of  medicine, 
each  pot  containing  two  or  three  quarts.  If 
the  patient  dies,  the  doctor  gets  no  fee. 

The  influence  which  Western  medical  science  is 
exerting  in  Siam  is  shown  in  the  following  inci- 
dent, mentioned  in  a recent  Bangkok  newspaper. 
The  young  man  alluded  to  is  a graduate  of  the 
Presbyterian  mission  boarding-school:  “Dr.  Tien 
Hee,  who  received  a diploma  from  the  Xew  York 
University  School  of  Medicine,  where  he  gradu- 
ated some  years  ago,  performed  a very  difficult 
and  delicate  operation  a few  days  ago  upon  a 
distinguished  Siamese  official,  and  we  learn  with 
pleasure  that  the  king  has  since  graciously  per- 
mitted him  to  practice  in  the  royal  palace.” 

A Avriter  in  the  same  paper  gives  the  following 
account  of  a hospital  established  by  the  Siamese, 
and  conducted  by  a graduate  of  a Western  med- 
ical college,  the  same  that  is  mentioned  above : 
“ To-day  (November  29th)  I had  the  pleasure 
of  visiting  the  first  and  only  hosj)ital  organized 
and  controlled  by  the  Siamese  within  the  king- 
dom of  Siam.  It  was  opened  for  the  reception  of 
patients  on  the  14th  of  December.  It  is  a large, 
airy,  two-storied  building,  situated  within  the 
city-walls,  near  Sampeng  market-gate,  and  has 
capacity  for  sixty  patients.  It  is  a hospital  de- 
voted to  the  exclusive  care  of  soldiers,  and  is 


240 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


iiiuler  the  management  of  a Siamese  physician, 
L)r.  Tien  Hee.  Siam  owes  the  establishment  of 
its  first  hospital  to  the  energy  of  one  of  its  most 
intelligent  noblemen,  Pra  Nai  Wai,  who  com- 
pleted and  presented  the  building  for  it  to  the 
Siamese  government.  His  Majesty  accej^ted  the 
gift  and  has  ju-omised  it  his  support.  It  has  for 
its  director  a cultivated  and  capable  Siamese 
physician,  who  will  be  able  to  give  the  patients 
the  benefit  of  Western  medical  and  surgical 
science.” 


CHAPTER  XV. 


CHOLERA-TIMES  IN  BANGKOK. 

Those  indeed  were  dreadful  days  in  tlie  sum- 
mer of  1849,  when,  after  being  free  from  it 
thirty  years,  cholera  again  broke  out  in  Siam ; 
when  in  less  than  a fortnight  more  than  twenty 
thousand  people  perished  in  the  one  city  of  Bang- 
kok ; when,  go  where  you  would  in  the  streets, 
you  would  meet  men  carrying  their  dead  slung 
from  a bamboo  borne  on  the  shoulders  of  two  of 
them  ; when  hundreds  of  corpses  were  thrown 
into  the  river  and  heaps  on  heaps  were  piled 
up  like  logs  and  burned  to  get  them  out  of  the 
way. 

I need  not  say  that  the  Siamese  were  very 
much  frightened  when  this  dreadful  disease 
broke  out  among  them.  They  saw  their  friends 
and  neighbors  sicken  in  an  hour  and  dying  on 
their  right  hand  and  left  in  almost  every  house, 
and  each  one  feared  it  might  be  his  turn  next. 
But  where  did  they  look  for  help?  Did  the 
king  proclaim  a fast-day,  think  you  ? and  the 
people  repent  of  their  many  sins  and  pray  to 
God  to  have  mercy  on  them  ? Alas ! God  was 

16  241 


242 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


not  in  the  thoughts  of  this  peoi)le  at  all.  Their 
religion  teaches  them  there  is  no  God — no  Cre- 
ator who  made  the  world ; the  world  made  itself, 
they  say ; it  always  was.  The  god  they  do  worship, 
Buddha,  whose  images  are  in  every  temple,  was 
nothing  but  a mere  man  like  themselves,  and, 
now  he  has  left  the  world,  knows  nothing,  cares 
nothing,  about  it,  or  indeed  about  aught  else. 

The  common  notion  about  the  pestilence  was 
that  an  army  of  wicked  spirits  had  come  invis- 
ibly to  carry  off  mankind  to  make  them  their 
servants  in  the  unseen  world.  Oh,  how  anxious 
they  were  to  make  these  spirits  of  the  air  their 
friends ! So  the  people  made  various  offerings 
in  order  to  conciliate  the  good-will  of  these 
spirits  of  the  air. 

It  was  a common  practice  in  those  days  to 
form  a little  square  tray  from  pieces  of  the  plan- 
tain tree,  and,  placing  the  offerings  thereupon, 
leave  them  by  the  side  of  the  street,  where  the 
spirits  would  find  them,  or  else,  placing  them  on 
the  water,  let  them  float  down  the  stream.  The 
river  and  land  were  full  of  them. 

Coming  home  one  night,  I stumbled  over  one 
right  in  my  path,  and,  having  a lantern,  stopped 
to  examine  it.  On  the  rude  tray,  which  was 
about  a foot  square,  were  strewed  rice,  some 
coarse  salt  tied  up  in  a little  rag,  some  fresh 
flowers,  betel-nut,  sliced  plantain,  the  end  of  a 
torch,  and  two  rough  images  of  clay  representing 


CHOLERA-TIMES  IN  BANGKOK. 


243 


a man  and  woman,  each  with  a dirty  shred  of 
cloth  about  it.  The  object  in  making  images 
was  that  the  spirits  might  accept  them  for  their 
servants  instead  of  the  persons  who  offered  them. 
The  invisible  spirits  never  carried  off  any  of 
these  dainty  gifts,  but  I have  seen  sensible-look- 
ing dogs  helping  themselves  freely  to  the  rice 
and  whatever  else  was  eatable. 

Some  would  take  great  pains  to  make  perfect 
little  models  of  a Chinese  junk,  painted  gayly, 
and  fit  them  out  with  little  red  and  white  ban- 
ners, wax  tapers,  fruit  and  flowers.  These  boats 
contained  as  passengers  clay  images  of  men, 
women  and  children,  and  at  dusk  the  tapers 
were  lighted  and  the  little  vessels  launched  on 
the  river  as  an  offering  to  the  spirits,  to  be  borne 
away  on  the  tide.  Many  charms  were  also  used 
to  keep  off  the  evil  spirits  that  bring  disease.  They 
consisted  of  strips  of  paper  with  various  squares 
and  marks  upon  them,  sewed  up  in  bits  of  red 
cloth  or  leather  of  a three-cornered  shape. 

But  by  far  the  most  common  practice  as  a 
preventive  of  cholera  was  wearing  a few  strands 
of  cotton  yarn  about  the  neck  or  wrist.  Go 
where  you  would,  in  the  market  or  along  the 
river-side,  nearly  all  women  and  children  wore 
this  white  string.  I have  been  in  the  houses  of 
noblemen  where  one  had  just  been  taken  sick, 
when  all  the  women  of  the  family  were  busy 
dividing  a hank  of  cotton  yarn  into  portions  and 


244 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


tying  them  around  the  wrists  or  necks  of  them- 
selves and  their  children  with  as  much  earnest- 
ness as  though  their  lives  depended  on  it.  Often 
in  trying  to  feel  for  the  pulse  of  some  poor  dying 
creature  have  I pushed  this  cotton  thread  away  to 
get  at  the  wrist. 

Many  houses  were  entirely  encircled  by  a long 
cotton  cord,  with  bits  of  Avritten  paper  fastened  to 
it  here  and  there.  The  outer  palace-Avalls,  more 
than  a mile  in  circumference,  were  thus  girt 
around,  the  cord  looped  up  from  the  battle- 
ments every  feAv  rods.  But  Death  crossed  the 
enchanted  line,  if  the  spirits  did  not,  and  hun- 
dreds of  the  king’s  large  household  Avere  SAvept 
away. 

The  pestilence  had  not  been  prevailing  long 
before  the  Chinese  in  the  city,  at  their  houses  on 
land  and  at  every  floating  house  for  miles  along 
the  river  and  canals,  had  a tall  bamboo  pole  put 
up,  Avith  cords  attached  by  Avhich  a little  lantern 
could  be  raised  to  the  top.  After  dark,  Avhen  all 
these  were  lighted,  they  gaA^e  the  river  a beauti- 
ful appearance.  This  foolish  waste  of  oil  Avas 
kept  up  all  night  for  weeks  and  months.  Besides 
this,  the  Chinese  tried  to  get  the  favor  of  their 
gods  by  the  firing  of  crackers,  boat-races  and 
processions  on  land  and  Avater. 

There  were  other  spirits,  besides  those  that  they 
supposed  had  caused  the  pestilence,  that  the  Siam- 
ese treated  Avith  great  respect  during  those  days. 


CHOLERA-TIMES  IN  BANGKOK. 


245 


Before  or  near  almost  every  house,  raised  on  a 
single  pole  about  as  high  as  one’s  head,  stood  a 
little  wooden  house,  having  one  small  room  open- 
ing on  a little  porch.  In  this  porch  and  room 
you  would  always  find  a quantity  of  offerings — 
such  curious  ones,  too,  that  you  would  be  more 
sure  than  ever  it  was  a doll’s  play-house,  yet 
the  grown-up  members  of  the  family  had  built 
them  to  secure  the  good-will  of  the  sj^irit  guard- 
ing the  spot  occupied  by  their  dwelling. 

A piece  of  board  shaped  something  like  the 
head  of  a spear,  slips  of  cloth  covered  with  writ- 
ten characters,  little  clay  images  of  elephants, 
horses,  men  and  women,  rice,  betel-nut,  tobacco 
and  flowers, — these  would  be  offered,  in  addition 
to  the  wax  tapers  kept  burning  and  food  set  out, 
if  any  of  the  family  were  sick. 

The  worshiping  of  these  spirits  is  a kind  of 
superstition  that  appears  to  have  been  handed 
down  by  the  forefathers  of  the  Siamese  from 
the  ancient  times  before  the  Buddhist  religion, 
which  throws  no  light  upon  it,  was  introduced 
into  their  country.  As  the  people  believe  that 
these  spirits  can  protect  them  from  sickness 
during  cholera-time,  the  offering-houses  are  well 
supplied,  and  the  little  sprites  (had  there  been 
any)  would  not  have  lacked  tobacco,  betel,  food 
and  clothing,  or  clay  horses  to  ride. 

The  temples  of  the  idols  and  the  priests  were 
not  forgotten  in  those  days.  The  preaching- 


1 


246 


67.14/  AND  LAOS. 


places  were  lilled  with  hearers,  presents  were 
made  in  abundance  to  the  priests  and  there  was 
much  bowing  to  idols.  One  great  man  was  sure 
that  he  could  not  die  of  cholera  because  he  had 
gained  so  much  merit  by  paying  the  expenses  of 
making  a number  of  new  priests — some  three  or 
four  hundred  ticals;  but  he  too  was  taken  away 
by  the  fatal  disease.  Priests  were  in  demand 
also  to  chant  prayers  over  the  dying,  that  they 
might  be  happy  in  the  next  life.  I was  much 
affected  by  seeing  a poor  mother  trying  to  comfort 
her  son,  a young  man  stricken  down  by  disease 
and  fast  sinking.  She  told  him  to  think  of  the 
favor  of  his  god,  and  then,  putting  his  hands 
together  with  the  palms  touching,  as  he  was  too 
far  gone  to  raise  them  himself,  lifted  them  for 
him  above  his  head,  as  is  done  in  the  worship  of 
Buddha.  And  so  this  life  went  out,  as  thousands 
upon  thousands  have  done  since,  in  blind  groping 
after  its  god,  and  this  mother  was  left,  as  many, 
many  mothers  in  that  land  have  been  left,  with- 
out one  ray  of  hope  or  light  beyond  the  border- 
land which  the  spirit  of  her  dear  one  had  passed. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


SIAMESE  CUSTOMS  FOR  THE  DYING  AND  DEAD. 

WHEN  a Buddhist  prince  or  princess  is  at  the 
point  of  death,  the  attendants,  wishing  to 
give  the  departing  spirit  as  good  a passport  into 
the  spirit-world  as  possible,  suspend  every  other 
care  and  address  themselves  to  the  work  of  fixing 
the  thoughts  of  the  dying  one  upon  Buddha.  To 
accomplish  this  they  take  turns  in  enunciating  as 
clearly  as  possible  the  name  of  Buddha  generally 
employed  when  in  health — P'ra  Arahang. 

Whenever  the  writer  has  been  present  at  the 
death  of  an  adult  member  of  the  royal  family, 
this  has  been  the  name  used.  It  is  uttered  as 
often  as  eight  or  ten  times  in  a minute.  This  is 
done,  hoping  that  the  departed  spirit  will  thus 
be  helped  to  think  of  Buddha,  and  that  that  will 
accumulate  a large  fund  of  merit  to  his  credit 
which  will  become  of  vast  service  to  him  in  the 
spirit-world.  It  would  seem  to  be  a service 
having  much  the  same  object  as  that  of  the 
“extreme  unction'’’  of  the  Homan  Catholics.  It 
is  continued  from  ten  to  fifteen  minutes  after  the 
pulse  has  stopped  its  beating  and  the  lungs  their 

247 


248 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


lieaving,  even  until  the  body  is  cold  and  stiff  in 
death. 

AMien  all  evidence  of  hearing  is  gone  the  at- 
tending friends  will  raise  their  voices  almost  to  a 
stunning  j)itch,  hoping  that  they  may  force  the 
departing  spirit  to  hear  the  name  of  P'ra  A7'a- 
When  the  most  loving  friends  have  ceased 
to  have  any  lingering  hope  that  the  dead  can 
hear  them  longer,  then  the  continuous  and  deaf- 
ening sounds  of  F'ra  Arahang  are  exchanged  for 
the  most  uncontrollable  wailings,  which  are  so 
loud  that  they  can  be  heard  at  a great  distance. 
Then  all  members  of  the  family,  including  the 
slaves  in  the  house  within  hearing,  join  in  a gen- 
eral outburst  of  crying  and  sobbing. 

When  a prince  of  high  rank  has  just  died, 
other  princes,  nobles  and  lords,  in  the  order  of 
their  rank,  step  np  one  Ijy  one  and  pour  a dipper 
of  water  upon  the  corj)se.  Certain  officials  in  the 
household  dress  the  body  for  a sitting  posture  in 
a pair  of  tightly-fitting  short  j^^iiitaloons  and 
jacket,  and  over  these  a winding  sheet  wraj)ped 
around  the  body  as  firmly  as  j)ossible.  Thus  pre- 
jjared,  the  corpse  is  placed  in  a copper  urn  with 
an  iron  grating  for  its  bottom,  and  this  is  jjut 
into  one  made  of  fine  gold,  with  an  outlet  at  the 
most  pendent  point,  and  a stopcock  from  which 
the  fluid  parts  of  the  body  are  daily  drawn  off 
until  it  becomes  quite  dry.  The  golden  urn  is 
then  placed  on  an  elevated  platform,  while 


CUSTOMS  FOR  THE  DYING  AND  DEAD.  249 


conch-shell  blowers  and  trumpeters  and  pipers 
perform  their  several  parts  with  the  greatest  pos- 
sible harmony  of  such  instruments.  This  act  is 
called  Ch'owp'ra  sop  K'lCnp'ra  taan — literally, 
an  invitation  to  the  corpse  to  be  seated  on  the 
platform. 

When  thus  seated  all  the  insignia  of  royalty 
which  the  prince  was  wont  to  have  about  him  in 
life  are  arranged  in  due  order  at  his  feet — viz.  his 
golden  betel-box,  his  cigar-case,  his  golden  spit- 
toon, his  writing  apparatus,  etc.  The  baud  of 
musicians  now  perform  a funeral  dirge;  and 
they  assemble  daily  at  early  dawn,  at  noon  and 
at  nightfall  to  perform  in  concert  with  a com- 
pany of  mourning  women  who  Ijewail  the  dead 
and  chant  his  virtues.  In  the  intervals  a com- 
pany of  Buddhist  priests,  four  at  a time,  sitting 
on  the  floor  a little  distant  from  the  platform, 
recite  moral  lessons  and  chant  incantations  in 
the  Pali,  with  loud,  clear,  musical  intonations. 

This  service  is  continued  day  and  night,  with 
only  the  intervals  for  the  performance  of  the 
dirges  and  mourning  women,  and  a few  minutes 
each  hour  as  the  four  priests  retire  and  another 
four  come  in  and  take  their  place.  This  is  kept 
up  from  week  to  week  and  month  to  month  until 
the  time  appointed  for  burning  the  corpse  has 
arrived,  which  may  be  from  two  to  six  or  even 
eight  months.  The  remains  of  a king  are  usu- 
ally ke])t  from  eight  to  twelve  months.  (In  the 


250 


SIAM  Ayi)  LAOS. 


present  case  the  remains  have  been  kept  seven- 
teen months.) 

In  event  of  the  death  of  a king  his  successor 
immediately  begins  preparations  for  the  P'ra- 
mene,  which  is  the  splendid  temporary  building 
under  which  the  body  is  to  sit  in  state  several 
days  on  a throne  glittering  with  silver,  gold  and 
precious  stones,  and  then  and  there  to  be  com- 
mitted to  the  flames. 

The  building  is  intended  to  be  in  size  and 
grandeur  according  to  the  estimation  in  which 
the  deceased  was  held.  Royal  orders  are  forth- 
with sent  to  the  governors  of  four  different 
provinces  far  away  to  the  north,  in  which  large 
timber  abounds,  requiring  each  of  these  to  fur- 
nish one  of  the  four  large  logs  for  the  centre 
pillars  of  the  P'ramene.  These  must  be  of  the 
finest  timber,  usually  the  oil  tree,  very  straight, 
two  hundred  feet  long  and  proportionately  large 
in  circumference,  which  the  writer  has  observed 
to  be  not  less  than  twelve  feet.  There  are  always 
twelve  other  pillars,  a little  smaller  in  size,  de- 
manded at  the  same  time  from  governors  of 
other  provinces,  as  also  much  other  timber  need- 
ful in  the  erection  of  the  P'ramene  and  the 
numerous  buildings  connected  with  it. 

As  sacred  custom  will  not  tolerate  the  use  of 
pillars  that  have  been  used  on  any  former  occa- 
sion, new  ones  must  be  obtained  for  the  funeral 
obsequies  of  each  king.  These  four  large  pillars 


CREMATION'  TEMPLE;  A TEMPORARY  Bni.DING, 


252 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


are  very  difficult  to  find,  and  can  be  floated  down 
to  the  capital  only  at  seasons  of  the  year  when 
the  rivers  where  they  are  found  are  full.  They 
are  hauled  to  the  hanks  of  the  streams  by  ele- 
phants and  buffaloes.  The  great  difficulty  of 
procuring  these  j)illars  is  one  main  cause  of  the 
usual  long  delay  of  the  funeral  burning  of  a 
king.  When  brought  to  the  city  they  are  hauled 
up  to  the  place  of  the  P'ramene  chiefly  by  the 
muscular  power  of  men  working  by  means  of  a 
rude  windlass  and  rollers  under  the  logs.  They 
are  then  hewed  and  planed  a little — just  enough 
to  remove  all  crooks  and  other  deformities — and 
finished  off  in  a cylindrical  form.  Then  they 
are  planted  in  the  ground  thirty  feet  deep,  one 
at  each  corner  of  a square  not  less  than  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  feet  in  circumference.  When  in 
their  proper  })lace  they  stand  leaning  a little 
toward  each  other,  so  that  they  describe  the  form 
of  a four-sided,  truncated  pyramid  from  one 
hundred  and  fifty  to  one  hundred  and  eighty 
feet  high.  On  the  top  of  these  is  framed  a 
pagoda-formed  spire,  adding  from  fifty  to  sixty 
more  feet  to  the  height  of  the  structure.  This 
upper  part  is  octagonal,  and  so  covered  with  yel- 
low tin  sheets  and  tinseled  paper  as  to  make  a 
grand  appearance  at  such  a height,  but  it  Avould 
not  well  bear  close  inspection. 

Surrounding  the  P'ramene  there  is  a new 
bamboo  fence  ten  feet  high,  enclosing  a square 


CUSTOMS  FOB  THE  DYING  AND  DEAD.  253 


of  more  than  two  acres,  with  a gate  midway  on 
three  sides.  On  the  inside  of  this  fence  are  num- 
berless bamboo  buildings,  fantastically  painted 
and  papered,  for  the  accommodation  of  the  priests 
and  nobles,  one  side  of  the  square  being  chiefly 
occupied  with  buildings  for  the  king’s  own  ac- 
commodation while  attending  the  ceremonies  of 
the  royal  cremation.  These  are  distinguished 
from  all  others  by  having  their  roofs  covered 
with  crimson  cloth,  the  peculiar  horn-like  pro- 
jections at  the  two  ends  of  their  ridges,  and  by 
the  golden  drapery  suspended  in  front  and  taste- 
fully gathered  up  to  the  several  posts  of  the  hall. 

The  whole  area  is  neatly  covered  with  bamboo 
wickerwork,  the  slats  of  which  the  woof  and 
warp  are  made  being  more  than  an  inch  wide, 
forming  thus  one  unbroken  bamboo  carpet,  giv- 
ing great  elasticity  to  the  steps  of  all  who  walk 
upon  it. 

There  are  placed  here  and  there  upon  this 
bamboo  floor  inultitudes  of  standards  peculiar  to 
the  Siamese.  Some  are  like  the  Sawe-hr achat, 
or  royal  umbrella  of  several  stories  high.  Some 
of  them  are  with  machinery  exhibiting  a variety 
of  little  paper  figures  in  perpetual  action,  imag- 
ing angels  or  devils.  Here  and  there  you  will 
see  a niche  with  rude  landscape  views  of  the 
lower  series  of  the  Buddhists’  celestial  worlds 
and  of  princely  dwellings  there,  with  delightful 
pools  and  groves  and  many  other  sensual  lux- 


254 


ST  AM  AND  LAOS. 


uries  wliicli  a lieatben  mind  fancies  a lieaveii  of 
happiness  must  give  its  inhabitants. 

Outside  of  the  bamboo  fence  are  buildings  for 
the  accommodation  of  officers  of  the  government 
and  others  who  cannot  find  room  within  the  en- 
closure. There  are  also  numerous  playhouses 
for  theatrical  and  puppet-shows,  masquerades, 
wire-dancing,  etc.,  and,  more  interesting  to 
many,  the  great  victualing  establishment  for  all 
classes  above  the  vulgar,  presenting  a large  va- 
riety of  dishes  and  fruits,  well  prepared  and 
tempting  to  the  appetite,  all  freely  offered  with- 
out price  at  all  hours  of  the  day. 

Thus  much  of  a bird’s-eye  view  of  what  may 
be  termed  the  mere  shell  of  the  P'ramene. 

The  real  P'ramene  is  erected  in  the  centre  of 
the  whole,  in  the  great  hall  directly  under  the 
loftiest  spire,  and  in  the  centre  of  this  stands  the 
P'ra  Bencha,  or  throne,  on  which  the  royal  urn 
is  placed  in  state.  This  is  a splendid  eight-sided 
pyramid,  fifty  or  sixty  feet  in  circumference,  its 
base  on  a floor  twenty  feet  above  the  ground.  It 
diminishes  by  right-angled  gradations  upward 
some  thirty  feet  to  a truncated  top,  and  on  its 
top  is  placed  the  golden  urn  containing  the  re- 
mains of  the  late  king  most  superbly  decorated 
with  gold,  diamonds  and  other  precious  stones. 
Some  ten  or  fifteen  feet  above  this  is  suspended 
from  the  lofty  ceiling  a idch  golden  canopy,  and 
far  up  above  that  is  a white  circular  awning  over- 


CUSTOMS  FOR  THE  DYING  AND  DEAD.  255 


shadowing  the  whole.  Immediately  under  the 
golden  canopy  hang  the  sweetest  and  whitest 
flowers  arranged  in  the  form  of  a large  chan- 
delier. 

The  Pm  Bencha  is  made  brilliant  by  the  skill- 
ful arrangement  on  its  several  steps  of  the  most 
showy  articles  of  porcelain,  glass,  alabaster,  silver 
and  gold  artificial  flowers  and  fruits  intermixed 
with  real  fruits,  little  images  of  birds,  beasts,  men, 
women,  children,  angels,  etc. 

For  illuminating  the  hall  splendid  chandeliers 
are  suspended  from  the  four  corners  of  the  ceil- 
ing, assisted  by  innumerable  lesser  lights  on  the 
angular  gradations  of  the  pjrarnid. 

At  the  time  of  placing  the  royal  remains  in 
state  on  that  lofty  throne  nearly  all  the  princes, 
chief  nobles  and  officials  in  the  kingdom  assem- 
ble just  after  the  break  of  day  to  escort  “ the 
sacred  corpse”  to  its  last  earthly  throne  on  the 
summit  of  the  new  P'ramene. 

The  golden  urn  is  placed  upon  a high  golden 
seat  in  a kind  of  Juggernaut  car  drawn  by  a pair 
of  horses  assisted  by  hundreds  of  men.  This 
vehicle  is  preceded  by  two  other  wheel  carriages, 
the  first  occupied  solely  by  the  high  priest  of  the 
kingdom,  sitting  on  a high  seat,  reading  a sacred 
book  of  moral  lessons  in  Pali  called  App’if’am. 
The  second  carriage  is  occupied  by  a few  of  the 
most  favored  children  of  the  deceased.  A strip 
of  silver  cloth  is  attached  to  the  urn  and  loosely 


256 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


extends  to  the  two  front  carriages.  This  forms 
the  mystical  union  between  the  corpse,  the  sacred 
book  and  their  royal  highnesses.  The  carriage 
behind  the  one  bearing  the  royal  urn  carries 
some  fifty  or  sixty  sticks  of  imported  fragrant 
wood,  richly  gilded  at  the  ends,  with  which  the 
body  is  to  be  burned.  Each  of  these  carriages  is 
drawn  by  a pair  of  horses,  with  scores  of  men  to 
assist,  all  pulling  at  a rope  in  front  of  the  beasts. 

Figures  of  ele})hants,  rhinoceroses,  lions,  tigers 
and  fabulous  animals,  all  made  of  bamboo  wick- 
erwork and  having  on  their  backs  large  recepta- 
cles for  priests’  robes,  are  drawn  on  small  wooden 
wheels.  In  front  and  in  the  rear  hundreds  of 
men  dressed  in  white,  with  pagoda-form  white 
turbans  eight  or  ten  inches  tall,  ])urporting  to  be 
angels,  walk  four  abreast  and  carry  glass  imita- 
tion lotus-flowers. 

The  moment  the  procession  begins  to  move  the 
shells,  trumpets  and  pipes  are  sounded  and  the 
death-di’ums  are  beaten  with  a slow,  measured 
stroke  until  the  royal  hearse  reaches  the  P’m- 
mene.  By  ropes  and  pnlleys  the  urn  is  drawn 
slowly  up  with  much  ceremony  and  jilaced  on 
the  sj)lendid  throne,  to  remain  in  state  at  least 
seven  days  before  burning,  the  strip  of  silver  » 
cloth  extending  from  the  lid  of  the  urn  down  the 
eastern  and  western  sides  of  the  pyramid  nearly 
to  the  flight  of  steps  on  the  east  and  west  sides 
of  the  building. 


CUSTOMS  FOE  THE  DYING  AND  DEAD.  257 


Then  the  chief  2:»riests  of  the  city  and  from 
nearly  all  other  parts  of  the  kingdom  begin  to 
assemble,  a hundred  or  more  at  a time,  on  the 
floor  of  the  P'ramene  in  sight  of  the  holy  urn, 
and  rehearse  in  concert  lessons  in  Pali  called 
P^ang-soo-koon,  which  are  in  substance  reflec- 
tions on  the  brevity  and  uncertainty  of  human 
life,  the  certainty  of  death  and  transmigration, 
the  sorrows  connected  with  every  state  of  muta- 
bility and  the  blessings  of  Nipan,  where  there 
can  be  no  more  change.  Having  uttered  audibly 
these  short  lessons,  they  continue  in  a sitting  pos- 
ture, with  downcast  looks,  a few  minutes,  reflecting 
silently  on  the  condition  of  the  living  and  the 
dead,  and  then  retire,  giving  place  to  another 
hundred  or  more  to  recite  the  same  lessons. 
Thus  they  come  and  go  until  thousands  of  the 
chief  priests  and  others  of  lower  rank  have  had 
the  honor ; and  this  is  repeated  every  day  while 
the  corpse  sits  in  state  and  for  three  days  after- 
ward. 

All  the  princes  and  nobles  and  royal  servants 
are  dressed  in  white.  Every  Siamese  subject, 
noble  or  plebeian,  man  and  woman,  bond  and 
free,  must  then  out  of  respect  for  the  dead  have 
his  head  entirely  shaven. 

The  multitudes  of  ju’iests  are  sumptuously  fetl 
from  the  royal  bounty  early  every  morning,  and 
again  before  noon.  Yellow  robes  are  prepared 
for  them  at  the  expense  of  the  king’s  private 
ir 


258 


SLIM  AXD  LAOS. 


jiurse.  To  every  diief  priest  he  gives  a com- 
plete suit,  and  to  every  other  priest  some  import- 
ant part  of  a suit,  if  not  the  whole.  Besides  the 
yellow  robes,  the  king  has  also  in  readiness  vast 
j)rovisions  of  bedsteads,  fully  furnished  with  mos- 
quito-bars, mattresses,  pillows,  towels,  spittoons, 
betel-boxes,  cigar-cases,  rice-kettles,  lacquered 
trays,  lamps,  caudles,  boats  with  little  houses  on 
them,  and  other  articles  which  the  priests  need 
in  their  daily  Ciilling.  These  articles  he  distrib- 
utes to  them  every  day. 

Another  performance,  usually  more  exciting 
than  all  tlie  rest,  is  the  daily  scattering  of  money 
broadcast  among  the  thousands  that  have  assem- 
bled there  for  the  sport.  The  king  takes  person- 
ally a very  lively  ]mrt  in  it.  The  money  and 
jewelry  are  usually  imbedded  in  little  green 
limes  or  small  balls  of  wood,  to  prevent  them 
from  getting  lost  among  the  crowd.  His  IMaj- 
esty,  standing  in  his  temporary  palace-door,  hav- 
ing bushels  of  limes  at  his  feet,  each  charged  with 
one  piece  of  money,  taking  up  a handful  at  a time, 
throws  them,  often  so  guiding  his  hand  as  that 
some  peculiar  favorite  shall  have  the  best  chance 
in  the  game — some  corpulent  prince  whom  he 
wishes  to  set  into  ludicrous  motion  by  his  efforts 
to  catch  the  flying  prize.  To  show  proper  respect, 
every  one,  whether  j^rince  or  prime  minister  or 
consul  or  missionary,  must  exert  himself  to  catch 
His  Majesty’s  gifts  while  flying,  and  must  go 


CUSTOMS  FOR  THE  DYING  AND  DEAD.  259 


down  on  all  fours  grabbing  after  them  at  the  feet 
of  the  multitude  if  they  happen  to  fall  there. 
He  manifestly  enjoys  the  sport,  often  laughing 
most  heartily  at  the  sight  of  the  jumjjing,  scram- 
bling and  groveling  eagerness  of  his  lords  to  ob- 
tain the  limes. 

Sometimes  the  limes  are  hung  on  artificial  trees 
called  ton  Kapimpruk — literally,  “ trees  that  grat- 
ified the  desires  of  men.”  They  are  intended  to 
represent  the  four  trees  that  are  to  be  found  in 
each  of  the  four  corners  of  the  city  in  which  the 
next  Buddha  is  to  be  born,  and  which  will  bear 
not  only  money,  but  seri-leaf,  betel-nut,  oranges, 
clothing,  gold,  diamonds — in  short,  everything 
else  that  man  shall  need  for  his  comfort  under 
his  reign. 

Four  men  ascend  the  mound  in  which  these 
trees  are  planted  to  pluck  the  fruit  by  handfuls 
and  cast  them  to  crowds  of  men  who  stand  as 
compacted  as  it  would  seem  possible  for  them 
to  live.  Every  throw  is  instantly  followed  by  a 
universal  shout  from  the  multitude  and  a rush 
for  the  prize.  And  then  they  surge  hither  and 
thither  like  a forest  swayed  by  a mighty  wind. 
The  writer  thinks  he  has  seen  ten  thousand  men 
engaged  at  one  time  in  this  kind  of  sport.  It 
takes  but  about  fifteen  minutes  to  pluck  all  the 
fruit  from  these  trees,  and  then  the  game  is  over. 
It  is  a rare  thing  for  a man  to  catch  more  than 
two  or  three  limes. 


260 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


Still  another  niotle  of  dispensing  the  royal  gifts 
on  snch  occasions  is  to  divide  them  into  lots,  with 
a slip  of  palm-leaf  attached  to  each  lot  and  a copy 
of  each  on  another  slip,  which,  being  rolled  up  or 
put  into  the  wooden  ball  or  lime,  is  thrown  out  by 
the  king  to  his  favored  audience.  He  sometimes 
adopts  a similar  mode  in  dispensing  his  favors  to 
companies  of  the  chief  priests,  taking  care,  of 
course,  that  only  such  things  as  are  suitable  for 
priests  are  put  into  such  lots. 

Sundry  Chinese,  Malay  and  Siamese  dramas 
and  shadow-scenes  are  played,  and  at  early  can- 
dlelight the  P’ramene  is  most  brilliantly  illumi- 
nated within  and  without.  About  eight  or  nine 
o’clock  in  the  evening  the  fireworks  are  sent  off, 
being  occasionally  ignited  by  the  king  himself. 
You  first  hear  the  crackling  of  the  matches,  then 
you  see  the  sulphuric  fire  and  smoke  running 
up  tall  bamboo  poles  and  extending  out  into 
branches.  Presently  a dozen  tall  trees  of  fire 
throw  an  intense  light  over  all  the  premises. 
These  quickly  burn  out,  and  another  flash  brings 
into  view  beautiful  fire-shrubbery.  In  a minute 
or  two  they  blossom  roses,  dahlias,  oleanders  and 
other  flowers  of  all  hues,  and  the  most  beautiful, 
continually  changing  their  colors  like  the  chame- 
leon until  they  all  fade  out  into  darkness.  You 
are  startled  by  the  report  of  rockets  sent  up  from 
various  places  in  rapid  succession,  a hundred  or 
more,  showing  that  the  Siamese  are  not  far  be- 


CUSTOMS  FOR  THE  DYING  AND  DEAD.  261 


hind  the  times  in  this  art.  Immediately  after 
this  you  will  hear  a terrible  roaring  like  the  bel- 
lowing of  a dozen  elephants,  with  an  occasional 
crash  like  the  bursting  of  a small  engine-boiler. 
They  are  the  fireworks  called  Chang  rawng, 
which  means  “ bellowing  elephants.”  Suddenly 
innumerable  fire-birds  begin  chirping,  buzzing, 
hopping  and  flying  in  all  directions.  Some 
ascend  high  in  the  air  and  burst  with  a small 
spluttering  report.  Mimic  volcanic  eruptions, 
attended  with  jets  of  ignited  sulphur  and  iron, 
ascending  like  waterspouts  and  falling  in  show- 
ers of  red-hot  lava,  are  kept  going  until  fifty  or 
more  have  been  fired. 

Before  the  burning  of  the  body  the  golden 
urn  containing  the  corpse  is  removed  from  the 
top  of  the  Pra  Bencha,  and  the  copper  urn  taken 
out.  This  has  an  iron  grating  at  the  bottom 
overlaid  with  spices  and  fragrant  powders.  All 
the  precious  articles  with  which  the  pyramid  was 
decorated  are  temporarily  removed  from  it,  and 
some  eight  or  ten  feet  of  the  upper  part  of  it 
taken  down  to  form  a place  of  suitable  dimen- 
sions for  the  burning.  Then  the  fragrant  wood 
is  laid  in  order  in  cross  layers  on  the  platform, 
having  a bellows  attached  to  the  pile.  Precious 
spices  and  fragrant  articles,  many  in  kind,  are 
put  among  the  wood.  A gunpowder  match  is 
laid  from  a certain  part  of  the  hall  set  apart  for 
the  seat  of  the  king,  reaching  to  a spot  made  par- 


2«2 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


ticiilarly  combustible  in  the  pile  of  wood.  These 
changes  are  made  with  surprising  rapidity. 

All  being  ready,  the  king  takes  electric  fire — 
which  had  been  preserved  for  such  purposes  for 
a long  time — and  touches  it  to  the  end  of  the 
match  at  his  feet.  This  kindles  a flame  in  the 
midst  of  the  wood.  Immediately  the  next  in 
rank  among  the  princes  steps  up  and  lays  his 
large  wax  candle,  lighted  from  a lamp  burning 
in  the  same  li^htnino;  fire,  amono;  the  wood  or  on 
the  top  of  it  as  seems  to  him  most  convenient. 
The  next  j)i-ince  in  order  of  rank  does  the  same, 
and  all  the  nobles  and  lords  lay  their  wax  can- 
dles among  the  wood.  The  rank-order  is  soon 
lost  in  the  hurry  of  the  many  who  wish  to  con- 
tribute their  candles  before  it  shall  be  too  late. 
Hundreds  of  wax  candles,  great  and  small,  are 
laid  on  the  wood  ere  the  burning  has  advanced 
too  far  to  admit  any  more. 

To  prevent  the  flames  from  becoming  too 
intense  for  the  safety  of  the  P'ramene  and  its 
appendages,  strong  men  armed  with  long-han- 
dled dippers  are  dashing  water  whenever  and 
wherever  required  ; there  are  others  armed  with 
iron  pokers,  whose  business  it  is  to  stir  the  fire 
occasionally.  The  moment  the  wood  is  fired  the 
funeral  bands  strike  up  their  dirges  and  the  com- 
pany of  mourning  women  set  up  their  wailing. 
This  continues  only  a few  minutes.  The  time  oc- 
cupied in  the  burning  is  not  more  than  one  hour. 


TO>rR  OK  A B(;NZK. 


2G4 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


The  fire  is  extinguished  before  all  the  bones 
have  been  reduced  to  ashes.  A few  of  the  re- 
maining coals  of  the  bones  are  carefully  collected 
and  deposited  in  a neat  and  very  j^recious  gold 
urn.  By  the  time  this  is  done  the  sun  is  set, 
and  the  P’ramcne  is  left  in  a despoiled  state  until 
next  morning.  Nevertheless,  the  hall  is  lighted 
and  all  the  usual  exercises  go  on  through  the 
night  as  before.  Early  the  next  morning  the 
P •a  Bencha  pyramid  is  restored  to  its  original 
splendor  and  the  little  golden  urn  of  precious 
coal  is  })laced  on  its  summit. 

All  the  ashes  left  by  the  burning  are  put  in 
clean  white  muslin  and  laid  in  a golden  platter. 
They  are  then  ceremoniously  carried  in  state  to 
the  royal  landing,  and,  escorted  by  a procession 
of  state  barges,  attended  by  the  funeral  bands, 
carried  down  the  river  about  a mile  and  there 
committed  to  its  waters. 

The  funeral  obsequies  of  a king  are  continued 
three  days  after  the  burning,  and  the  ceremonies 
are  almost  the  same  as  those  in  anticipation  of  it 
until  the  last  day.  On  that  day  a royal  proces- 
sion is  formed,  somewhat  like  that  of  the  first 
day,  to  bear  the  charred  remains  in  the  little 
golden  urn  to  a sacred  depository  of  such  relics 
of  the  kings  of  Siam  within  the  royal  palace. 
Very  soon  after  this  the  servants  of  the  king 
gather  up  all  the  articles  which  it  is  customary 
to  preserve  for  future  funeral  occasions — viz.  the 


CUSTOMS  FOR  THE  DYING  AND  DEAD.  265 


perinaneut  gold  and  silver  stands,  the  golden 
canopy  and  the  ornaments  of  the  pyramid.  But 
the  timber  of  which  the  P'ramene  and  its  ap- 
pendages are  made  is  taken  down  and  converted 
to  other  uses,  usually  the  building  of  Buddhist 
temples.* 

Funerals  among  the  People. 

These  very  costly  funerals  of  the  royal  family 
and  nobility  are  not  possible,  of  course,  among 
the  common  people.  The  priests,  however,  are 
generally  sent  for  to  attend  the  dying,  and  when 
there  sprinkle  the  suffering  one  with  holy  water, 
recite  passages  from  their  sacred  books  and  pro- 
nounce the  name  of  Buddha  repeatedly. 

After  death  there  is  a season  of  weeping  and 
wailing  by  the  family,  and  the  body  is  then 
washed  and  wraj:>ped  tightly  in  white  cloth.  An 
urn  or  wooden  coffin  covered  with  gilt  paper  and 
decorated  with  tinsel  flowers  is  brought,  and  the 
body  placed  therein. 

Among  the  people  the  corpse  is  not  kept  long 
in  the  dwelling,  and  instances  have  been  known 

* The  ceremonies  at  the  cremation  of  the  body  of  the  late 
first  king  lasted  from  the  12th  of  March,  1870,  till  the  21st 
of  the  same  month.  The  king  of  Cheung  Mai  came  from 
his  distant  home  among  the  Laos  Mountains  to  be  present 
on  the  occasion ; and  the  pomp  and  expense  of  the  cere- 
mony, for  which  preparations  had  been  more  than  a year 
in  progress,  surpassed  anything  that  had  been  known  in  the 
history  of  Siam. 


266 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


where  the  dying  one  wiis  removed  outside  on  ac- 
count of  the  superstitious  fears  of  the  family. 

When  the  coffin  is  carried  off,  it  is  not  through 
a door  or  window,  but  a hole  is  cut  in  the  bam- 
boo wall,  and  sometimes  the  bearers  run  around 
the  house  two  or  three  times,  lest  the  spirit 
should  find  its  way  back  and  haunt  the  prem- 
ises. 

The  cremation  takes  place  in  some  temple- 
ground  where  there  is  a permanent  P'ramene. 
But  occasionally  the  dying  “make  merit”  by  be- 
queathing their  dead  body  to  the  vultures.  In 
such  cases  the  flesh  is  cut  off  with  a knife  and 
fed  to  these  birds  of  })rey,  which  haunt  the  burn- 
ing-localities in  great  numbers,  and  the  bones 
only  are  burned.  Paupers  and  criminals  are 
thus  fed  to  the  vultures  or  burned  without  cere- 
mony. All  persons  struck  dead  by  lightning  or 
carried  off  suddenly  by  small-pox  or  cholera  are 
first  buried  for  some  months,  and  then  dug  up 
and  burned. 

The  funerals  of  the  wealthy  last  several  days, 
and  are  connected  with  feasting,  fireworks  and 
theatrical  displays.  The  garb  of  mourning  in 
Siam  is  white,  not  black,  and  is  accompanied 
with  shavino;  of  the  heads  of  all  the  immediate 
family  and  their  servants. 


CUSTOMS  FOR  THE  DYING  AND  DEAD.  267 


Ckemation  at  Bejkepuree  of  a Max  ix  the 
Middle  Walks  of  Life. 

[From  the  Bangkok  Recorder,  May,  1866.] 

The  corpse  was  first  to  be  offered  to  the  vul- 
tures, a hundred  or  more.  Before  the  coffin  was 
opened  the  filthy  and  horrible  gang  had  assem- 
bled, ‘Tor  wheresoever  the  carcass  is,  there  will 
the  eagles  [vultures]  be  gathered  together.”  They 
were  perched  on  the  ridges  of  the  temple,  and 
even  on  small  trees  and  bushes  within  a few  feet 
of  the  body;  and  so  greedy  were  they  that  the 
sexton  and  his  assistants  had  to  beat  them  off 
many  times  before  the  coffin  could  be  o])ened. 
They  seemed  to  know  that  there  would  be  but  a 
mouthful  for  each  if  divided  among  them  all,  and 
that  packs  of  greedy  dogs  were  also  in  waiting 
for  their  share. 

The  body  was  taken  from  the  coffin  and  laid 
on  a pile  of  wood  that  had  been  prepared  on  a 
small  temporary  altar.  Then  the  birds  were 
allowed  to  descend  upon  the  corpse  and  tear  it 
as  they  liked.  For  a while  it  was  quite  hidden 
in  the  rush.  But  each  bird,  grabbing  its  part 
with  bill  and  claws,  spread  its  wings  and  mount- 
ed to  some  quiet  place  to  eat. 

The  sexton  seemed  to  think  that  he  too  was 
“making  merit”  by  cutting  off  parts  of  the  body 
and  throwing  them  to  the  hungry  dogs,  as  the 
dying  man  had  done  in  bequeathing  his  body 
to  these  carrion -feeders.  The  birds,  not  satisfied 


268 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


witli  wluit  they  got  from  the  altar,  came  down 
and  quarreled  with  the  curs  for  their  share. 

While  this  was  going  on  the  mourners  stood 
waiting,  with  wax  candles  and  incense-sticks,  to 
pay  their  last  tribute  of  respect  to  the  deceased, 
by  assisting  in  the  burning  of  the  bones  after 
the  vultures  and  dogs  had  stripped  them.  The 
sexton,  Avith  the  assistance  of  another,  gathered 
up  the  skeleton  and  put  it  back  into  the  coffin, 
Avhich  Avas  lifted  by  four  men  and  carried  around 
the  funeral  j^ile  three  times. 

It  was  then  laid  on  the  pile  of  wood,  and  a 
fcAv  sticks  AA-ere  put  into  the  coffin  to  aid  in 
burning  the  bones.  Then  a lighted  torch  Avas 
applied  to  the  pile,  and  the  relatives  and  other 
mourners  advanced  and  laid  each  a wax  candle 
by  the  torch.  Others  brought  incense  and  cast 
it  on  the  pile. 

The  vultures,  having  had  but  a scanty  break- 
fast, lingered  about  the  place  until  the  fire  had 
left  nothing  more  for  them,  Avhen  they  shook 
their  ugly  heads,  and,  hopping  a few  steps  to  get 
up  a momentum,  flajAped  their  haiq^y  wings  and 
flew  away. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 


THE  WATS  OF  SIAM. 

“ On  the  pagoda-spire 
The  bells  are  swinging, 

With  their  little  golden  circlets  in  a flutter 
With  tales  the  wooing  winds  have  dared  to  utter, 

Till  all  are  ringing 
As  if  a choir 

Of  golden-nested  birds  in  heaven  were  singing ; 

And  with  a lulling  sound 
The  music  floats  around, 

And  drops  like  balm  into  the  drowsy  ear.” — Mrs.  Judson. 


A SIAMESE  wat,  instead  of  a single  lofty  pa- 
goda, as  often  represented  in  the  pictures  of 
Burmali,  consists  of  a number  of  buildings  scat- 
tered about  a large  park-like  enclosure.  Let  us 
in  imagination  visit  such  a Buddhist  temple  con- 
nected with  a monastery — say,  one  of  the  largest 
to  be  found  in  any  part  of  the  world — in  Bang- 
kok. 

Starting  on  such  an  expedition,  at  the  en- 
trance of  the  enclosure,  generally  near  the  boat- 
landing on  the  river,  you  would  find  a large  gar- 
den or  rest-house,  called  by  the  Burmese  zayat 
and  by  the  Siamese  sala.  This  sala  is  made  up 
of  two  or  three  open  pavilions,  according  to  the 
size  of  the  wat,  erected  as  lounging-places  for  the 


270 


STAM  AND  LAOS. 


inmates  or  as  I’esting-places  for  travelers.  It  is 
to  the  Siamese  what  the  inn  is  to  the  American 
or  Englishman,  and  is  often  useful  to  our  mis- 
sionaries in  their  tours  about  the  country.  To 
build  a snla  is  considered  a meritorious  act  by  the 
Buddhists. 

You  pass  the  sala  and  enter  an  area,  generally 
consisting  of  several  acres  of  ground,  laid  out 


BAXYAX  TliKE  (Ficus  indica). 


with  trees  and  ornamental  shrubbery.  Here  are 
shady  walks,  always  hard  and  smooth,  sometimes 
paved  with  marble ; fruit-  and  flower-gardens ; 
not  seldom  artificial  grottoes ; pools  with  fish 
and  playing  fountains ; and  miniature  moun- 
tains. Tliere  is  also  one  large  tree,  claimed  to 
be  a shoot  of  the  veritable  tree  under  which 
Shakyamuni  sat  when  he  attained  to  Buddha- 
ship — the  sacred  Bod  hi  tree. 

“Yon  may  remark,”  says  I)r.  Eitel,  “that  the 


STAMR-^K  TKMPLK. 


272 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


tree  before  you  is  by  no  means  a Ficus  reUgiosa, 
but  a Ficus  indica,  or  it  may  happen  that  it  is 
neither  of  the  two,  but  a palm  tree  (most  proba- 
bly then  the  Forassus  Jlabclliformis)  ; but  the 
attendant  priest  who  acts  as  your  guide  will  tell 
you  nevertheless,  Avith  a bland  smile,  that  it  is  a 
Ficus  reUgiosa,  and  that  only  ignorant  and  wan- 
tonly skeptical  persons  can  have  any  doubt  on 
the  subject.  Is  there  not  a plate  erected  at  the 
foot  of  the  tree  stating  that  this  tree  grew  out  of 
a shoot  brought  directly  from  the  holy  land,  cut 
off  the  very  Bodhi  tree  at  Giiya? 

“ It  is  a remnant  of  the  ancient  tree-worship 
that  almost  every  religious  sect  of  Asia  has  a 
sacred  tree  of  its  oavu.  The  Brahmans  revered 
the  Ficus  indica,  for  which  Buddhism  originally 
substituted  the  Ficus  religiosa.  But  in  course  of 
time  the  Buddhists  either  revelled  to  the  former 
tree  or  confounded  the  two.  They  were  ju’obably 
led  to  do  so  by  the  intuitive  apprehension  that 
Buddhism  as  it  greAV  and  spread  singularly  fol- 
lowed the  mode  of  growth  Avhich  is  a distinctive 
mark  of  the  sacred  tree  of  the  Brahmans,  the 
Ficus  indica.  It  is  a peculiarity  of  the  latter 
that  it  extends  itself  by  letting  its  branches 
droop  and  take  root,  planting  nurseries  of  its 
own,  and  thus  so  multiplying  itself  that  a single 
tree  forms  a curiously  arched  grove. 

“ This  is  precisely  the  Avay  in  Avhich  Buddh- 
ism propagated  itself.  It  germinated  in  India, 


THE  WATS  OF  SIAM. 


273 


but  sent  out  branches  south  and  north,  each  tak- 
ing root,  and  each  perpetuating  itself  by  further 
offshoots,  whilst  the  parent  stock  was  gradually 
withered,  and  finally  decayed.  Buddhism  left 
but  few  traces  behind  in  India,  but  it  still  lives 
in  Ceylon  and  in  the  offshoots  of  the  Singhalese 
Church  in  Burmah,  Siam  and  Pegu.  When 
Buddhism  became  almost  totally  extinct  in  In- 
dia, the  whole  force  of  its  vitality  seemed  to 
throw  itself  northward,  and  it  spread  with  re- 
newed vigor  and  widening  shade  over  Cashmere 
and  Nepaul  to  China  and  Thibet.  Chinese 
Buddhism  threw  forth  new  branches,  north- 
ward into  Corea  and  Japan  and  southward  over 
Cochin-China,  Cambodia  and  Laos,  whilst  Thih- 
etan  Buddhism  j)ushed  its  branches  into  Mongo- 
lia, Mantchuria  and  the  greater  part  of  Central 
Asia. 

“ Now,  in  each  of  these  countries  Buddhism 
established  separate  churches,  each  having  its 
own  locally  diversified  life,  its  own  saplings,  its 
own  fruits,  and  yet  all  these  many  branches 
from  one  grove  connected  with  each  other  and 
the  old  withered  parent  stock  in  India  by  a 
network  of  intertwining  roots.  Shivanism  and 
Shananism,  which  saturated  and  leavened  the 
churches  of  the  north  to  a very  considerable  ex- 
tent, now  influenced  the  minds  of  Southern 
Buddhists.  They  clung  to  the  old  traditions, 
retained  the  ancient  dogma,  preserved  their 
18 


274 


SUM  A XL)  LAOS. 


primitive  monastic  and  ecclesiastical  forms  in 
languid  torpor,  but  with  tolerable  fidelit}\  Yet 
still,  Burmese  and  Siamese  Buddhism  under  the 
influence  of  Brahmanism  Avent  so  far  as  to  amal- 
gamate with  the  Buddhist  religious  notions  de- 
ri\*ed  from  the  primitiA’e  tree-  and  serpent- 
Avorship,  Avhich  Avas  a foian  of  religion  not 
only  prior  to  Buddhism,  hut  indigenous  in 
Burmah  and  Siam.  The  consequence  is,  that 
practical  Buddhist  Avorship  there  is  marked  by 
the  prevalence  of  Brahmanic  mythology.” 

At  the  cremations,  during  plagues,  epidemics 
and  floods,  our  missionaries  tell  us,  more  atten- 
tion is  given  to  spirit-Avorship  than  to  Buddhism 
proper.  During  the  rice-planting  and  harA'est 
the  favor  of  the  spirits  of  the  air,  earth  and 
Avater  is  sought.  Spirit-oflerings  may  be  found 
in  the  homes  of  the  people,  in  the  boats,  fish- 
poles,  threshing-floors,  and  even  hanging  to  the 
sacred  Bo  tree  itself. 

As  you  turn  into  the  principal  avenue  of  the 
grounds  of  a Avat  you  Avill  be  very  apt  to  find 
figures  of  enormous  stone  griffins,  representing 
the  demon  kings  of  the  four  regions  Avho  guard 
the  Avorld  against  the  attacks  of  evil  spirits ; and 
crouching  lions,  stone  emblems  of  Shakyamuni 
(literally,  “Shakya  the  lion”),  Avho  is,  according 
to  the  Buddhists,  by  his  strength  the  king  of  the 
beasts,  as  he  is  hy  his  moral  excellence  the  king 
of  men. 


TE^rPLE  AT  AYUTHIA. 


276 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


On  a sunny  day  you  will  find  gathered  in  the 
area  of  the  outer  court  a motley  assemblage  of 
priests,  boys  and  beggars,  lazily  basking  in  the 
sun  or  engaged  in  various  pursuits — chewing 
betel-nut,  smoking,  gambling  or  playing  chess ; 
which  latter  is  much  the  same  game  as  our  own, 
only  the  powers  of  the  pieces  are  more  restricted. 
If  it  should  happen  to  be  a Siamese  holy  day,  a 
busy  multitude  of  all  ages  and  both  sexes,  men, 
women  and  children,  will  be  passing  to  and  fro, 
carrying  offerings  to  the  temple  or  going  to  hear 
Buddhist  pi'eaching. 

Let  us  examine  the  buildings  more  closely. 
Passing  the  first,  possibly  the  second,  court,  you 
reach  by  a flight  of  steps  the  wide  terrace  on 
which  stands  the  principal  temple  or  idol-house. 
This  court  is  surrounded  by  a quadrangular  row 
of  cloisters ; handsome  jars  filled  with  lotus  and 
other  plants  surround  the  temjde.  This  is  only 
a large  Siamese  hall,  built  of  brick  thickly  coat- 
ed with  white  jilaster,  which  at  a little  distance 
gives  it  the  appearance  of  marble.  The  pyra- 
midal roof,  in  vertical  stages,  turns  up  at  the 
extremities  in  great  horns,  and  is  resplendent 
with  glazed  red,  green  and  yellow  tiles.  The 
roofs,  gable-ends,  doors  and  windows  (without 
glass)  are  of  solid  timber,  covered  in  a bewilder- 
ing way  with  intricately-cut  cornices,  intersecting 
mouldings  and  fantastic  embellishments  of  gro- 
tesque human  and  animal  figures,  elaborately 


MONASTERY  OF  WAT  SISAKET 


278 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


carved  and  heavily  gilded — an  art  in  which  the 
Siamese  have  considerable  skill.  The  large 
square  room  within  is  ornamented  with  paint- 
ed paper  representing  scenes  taken  from  Buddh- 
ist mythology  or  horrible  medimval-like  pictures 
of  their  inferno,  or  series  of  hells. 

Entering  this  building,  you  see  an  altar,  gen- 
erally eight  or  ten  shelves  high,  tapering  to  a 
gilded  point.  It  contains  many-sized  figures  of 
Buddha  in  the  sitting  jDOsture,  together  with  a 
gaudy  display  of  wax  candles,  incense-tapers, 
gold  and  silver  tinsel  ornaments,  offerings  of 
fruit  and  flowers.  Possibly  some  priests  in  yel- 
low robes,  with  burning  candles,  are  chanting 
monotonous  liturgies ; more  probably,  however, 
no  priests  are  seen,  but  only  people  coming 
and  going  with  gifts  to  this  dead  god  Buddha. 
Step  nearer.  Do  not  fear  to  disturb  their  devo- 
tions. Instead  of  the  decorum  usual  in  Christian 
churches,  the  votaries  are  social,  and  even  noisy 
— one  moment  j^rostrate  before  the  altar,  the  next 
singing  an  idle  song.  Men  smoking,  women 
mixing  freely  with  the  crowd,  neither  veiled 
nor  shy.  They  are  the  most  assiduous  in  the 
religious  performances,  going  about  sprinkling 
the  images  with  perfumes  and  offering  oblatiqps 
of  lighted  incense-rods,  fresh  lotus  and  other 
flowers,  chaplets  or  artificial  flowers,  fruits,  and 
clothes  of  various  descriptions.  Children  three 
years  old  go  through  with  their  prostrations 


BRASS  IDOl.  IN  A TtMBLK  AT  BANGKOK, 


280 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


before  the  images  with  great  coiuposure  and 
gravity. 

Each  country  professing  Buddhism  appears  to 
adopt  its  own  idea  as  to  the  shape  of  its  images. 
Those  of  Siam  have  an  attenuated  figure,  com- 
porting with  our  associations  of  the  ascetic. 
Tiiese  images  have  a complacent,  sleepy  look, 
the  long  ears  resting  on  the  shoulders,  the  fin- 
gers and  toes  of  equal  length.  The  best  images 
are  of  bronze  or  brass,  one  large  brass  idol  of 
Bangkok  being  a perfect  giant  in  size.  There 
are  also  silver  and  j)late-gold  idols,  but  the  more 
numerous  are  a composite  of  plaster,  resin  and 
oil  mixed  with  hair,  and,  after  the  figure  is 
shaped,  covered  with  varnish,  upon  which  is  laid 
a thick  coat  of  gilding.  Into  the  composition  of 
the  great  “ sleeping  idol  ” of  Bangkok  were  2>ut 
thousands  of  bushels  of  lime,  molasses,  quick- 
silver and  other  materials,  at  a cost  of  several 
thousand  dollars.  These  idols  are  not  only  in 
the  temples,  but  everyAvhere — on  mountain-tops 
and  caves  and  in  the  homes  of  the  peoj)le. 

In  the  famous  Wat  P’hra  Keiiu  (the  private 
temple  of  the  royal  family  within  the  palace 
enclosure,  and  connecting  by  a secret  passage 
with  the  most  private  apartments  of  His  Majes- 
ty’s harem)  is  jierhaj^s  the  finest  specimen  of  an 
altar.  It  is  at  least  sixty  feet  high,  tapering  to 
a golden  sjDire.  The  shelves  are  loaded  with  rare 
and  costly  specimens  of  Siamese,  Chinese  and 


THE  WATS  OF  SIAM. 


281 


European  art — idols  covered  with  plate  gold, 
solid  silver  vases  of  beautiful  workmanship, 
golden  candlesticks,  marble  statuary,  ivory  or- 
naments, clocks,  garments  studded  with  precious 
stones ; crowning  all,  the  beautiful  emerald  idol 
flashing  with  a molten  mass  of  diamonds,  sap- 
phires and  other  gems.  This  cross-legged  statue 
of  Buddha,  one  foot  high  and  eight  inches  wide 
at  the  knees,  is  of  great  value  and  antiquity. 

The  kings  and  nobles  of  Siam  spend  large  K" 
sums  on  their  temples  and  idols.  There  are 
between  one  and  two  hundred  temples  in  the 
city  of  Bangkok  alone.  Several  cost  one  hun- 
dred thousand  dollars,  and  it  is  estimated  that 
the  Wat  P’hra  Kean,  with  its  lofty  gilded  roof, 
rich  carvings,  fine  paintings  and  floor  paved  with 
diamond-shaped  bricks  of  polished  brass,  cost 
nearly  a million  dollars. 

Such  expensive  temples  and  monstrous  images 
are  built  not  only  to  impress  and  awe  the  people, 
but  to  make  a large  amount  of  merit.  Tam  boon, 
or  “ merit-making,”  is,  after  all,  the  sum  and 
substance  of  Siamese  Buddhism,  The  words 
are  on  the  lips  of  young  and  old,  rich  and 
poor,  almost  every  hour  of  the  day.  They  are 
anxious  to  make  all  the  merit  possible,  believing 
that  their  pilgrimage  through  the  forms  of  ani- 
mal life  and  the  duration  of  their  purgatorial 
existence  in  the  several  Buddhist  hells  is  the 
result  of  Karma — i.  c.  merit  and  demerit.  Speak- 


282 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


ing  of  the  future,  the  Siamese  always  say,  “Tam 
boon,  tarn  kam" — “ according  to  merit  or  de- 
merit.” 

The  king  makes  merit  when  he  builds  a costly 
temple  or  goes  on  his  yearly  tour  to  distribute 
j)resents  among  the  priests  of  the  royal  wats. 
The  jiauper  makes  merit  when  with  a broom  of 
sinall  twigs  he  sweeps  the  dead  leaves  from  the 
temple-grounds.  The  old  man  makes  merit 
Avhen  with  jiainful  difficulty  he  urges  his  pal- 
sied limbs  to  the  wat,  and  there  bows  in  the 
temple  before  an  image  of  Buddha  till  his  fore- 
head touches  the  floor.  The  housewife  who  takes 
the  last  mouthful  of  rice  frotn  her  hungry  hus- 
band to  feed  some  lazy  priest  makes  merit.  The 
infant  makes  merit  when  the  mother,  holding  its 
tiny  hand  in  hers,  guides  the  fingers  in  forming 
the  wax  taper  that  is  used  in  worship. 

Pagodas,  or  sacred  spires — detached  })yramid- 
al  piles  of  solid  masonry,  frequently  reaching 
a great  height — are  always  found  in  connection 
with  the  Siamese  temples.  These  are  supposed 
to  contain  some  relic  of  Buddha,  and  are  sacred 
to  his  memory.  The  most  remarkable  pagoda 
of  Siam  is  that  in  the  extensive  grounds  of  the 
Wat  Cheng,  opposite  the  royal  palace  in  Bang- 
kok. Bell-shaped  and  about  two  hundred  feet 
high,  every  inch  of  its  irregular  surface  is  en- 
crusted over  with  colored  and  glazed  ornament- 
ation, consisting  largely  of  grotesque  human  and 


THE  GKEA'l'  TOWEIt  ()F  IIIE  rAOODA  WAT  CJIfAU. 


284 


67.4.1/  AND  LAOS. 


animal  figures,  while  from  each  projection  to  the 
very  needle-point  of  the  spire  hang  little  bells,  a 
a tiny  golden  wing  attached  to  their  tongues  to 
catch  the  passing  breeze,  and  all  day  long  thou- 
sands of  tinkling,  silvery  voices, 

“As  if  a choir 

Of  golden-nested  birds  in  heaven  were  singing,” 

fill  the  air  with  sweet,  weird  music. 

Each  wat  has  also  its  chapel,  or  preaching- 
hall.  On  the  feasts  or  sacred  days  crowds  of 
women  flock  to  hear  some  favorite  priest  read 
Bana.  One  day  a missionary  stopped  to  rest 
among  the  shady  groves  of  a wat,  and,  hearing 
the  voice  of  one  reading,  he  entered.  Out  of  a 
congregation  of  fifty  he  found  only  two  men. 
This  is  what  he  saw : A yellow-robed  priest 
seated  on  his  high  pedestal  in  the  centre,  in  one 
hand  a fan  to  keep  his  eyes  from  wandering  to 
things  carnal,  in  the  other  a palm-leaf  book, 
from  which  he  read  sentences  of  the  Buddhist 
scriptures,  written  in  the  Pali,  in  a monotonous 
tone,  occasionally  adding  an  explanation  in  Si- 
amese. Before  him  burned  a wax  ta])er.  His 
congregation,  seated  in  a circle  on  the  floor, 
reverently  listened  with  downcast  eyes,  their 
palms  joined  and  heads  bowed  till  the  elbows 
rested  on  the  ground,  though  much  of  the  ser- 
vice was  in  an  unknown  tongue  : “ Blessed  is  he 
who  heareth  the  law.”  So,  reverently  listening 


28G 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


to  tlie  words  spoken,  they  believe  themselves 
blest,  nor  would  they  consider  the  merit  any 
greater  if  they  understood  the  preacher. 

Occasionally,  however,  there  are  priests  who 
preach  intelligibly  to  attentive  hearers.  Ordi- 
nary ])opular  preaching  is  simply  extracts  from 
the  traditional  life  and  transmigrations  of  the 
last  Buddha.  The  facts  of  his  history  are  briefly, 
as  set  forth  in  the  Buddhist  writings,  as  follows  : 

Gautama,  the  last  and  greatest  of  the  seven 
Buddhas,  had  appeared  on  this  earth  at  least 
five  hundred  and  fifty  times  (working  his  way 
up  from  the  lowest  forms  of  existence,  and 
always  exhibiting  absolutely  self-denying  char- 
ity) before  he  was  finally  born  a son  of  the 
rajah  of  jVIagadha.  According  to  the  Ceylon 
tradition,  he  would  be  nearly  contemporary 
with  the  prophet  Daniel,  as  their  sacred  writ- 
ings place  his  death  in  543  b.  c.  From  this 
period  the  sacred  era  of  Siam  is  dated.  This 
young  prince  fled  from  his  royal  father,  and, 
forsaking  rank  and  wife  and  child,  became  first 
a hermit.  Later  he  wandered,  in  a course  of 
open-air  preaching,  through  the  length  and 
breadth  of  India,  and.  Southern  Buddhists 
claim,  even  to  Ceylon.  By  the  force  of  his  ir- 
resistible eloquence  he  founded  a new  sect. 
Fanatics  of  all  ranks,  taking  on  themselves 
voluntary  vows  of  chastity  and  poverty,  left 
their  families  to  follow  in  his  footsteps.  He 


THE  WATS  OF  SIAM. 


2S7 


begged  from  door  to  door,  taught  the  vanity 
of  life,  the  terrors  of  transmigration  and  of  the 
purgatorial  hells,  and  claimed  that  his  noble 
fourfold  path  was  the  only  salvation  from  this 
dizzy  round  of  birth  and  death;  that  Nirvana — 
or  in  Siamese  Nipan — was  the  haven  of  final 
rest.  He  therefore  urged  his  disciples  of  all  ages 
and  ranks  to  turn  from  other  pursuits  and  devote 
themselves  by  a course  of  meditation,  crucifixion 
of  desire  and  meritorious  acts  exclusively  to  this 
one  object — the  attainment  of  Nipan.  After  forty- 
five  years  of  such  teaching  it  is  claimed  he  passed 
into  Nipan.  Henceforth,  for  centuries,  he  has 
been  held  up  as  the  Pure  One  [Arahany) , and 
worshiped  as  the  Buddha.  Hence  the  confession 
of  faith  of  a devout  Buddhist  is,  “ I take  refuge 
in  Buddha” — meaning  that  as  the  sage  during 
all  these  hundreds  of  births  distinguished  him- 
self by  a self-sacrificing  charity  and  acts  of  merit, 
denying  and  conquering  all  the  natural  appetites 
and  desires,  so  the  disciple  bases  his  system  of 
morals  and  his  hopes  of  the  future  on  the  life 
and  precepts  of  the  founder.  “ Imitate  Buddha; 
accept  his  ideas  of  life;  renounce  family  rela- 
tions, property,  the  carnal  desires  and  passions,” 
— this  is  the  one  theme  of  Buddhist  preaching. 

In  Christian  lands  we  speak  of  “the  preach- 
ing of  the  cross ;”  so  the  Buddhist,  adopting  the 
wheel  as  symbolic  of  the  weary  rounds  of  trans- 
migration, speaks  of  “ turning  the  wheel  of  doc- 


288 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


trine”  as  most  expressive  of  the  Buddhist  idea  of 
salvation — rest  or  Nipan. 

Heretofore,  preaching-halls  have  been  bare 
within,  but  the  present  king  has  lately  built  a 
beautiful  Gothic  chapel  after  the  most  approved 
modern  style — stained  glass  wdndows,  an  altar, 
pews  for  the  congregation,  and  something  that 
has  the  appearance  of  a grand  organ,  with  great 
pipes  running  to  the  ceiling,  but,  alas ! a niche 
in  each  pipe  filled  with  a small  idol,  and  a much 
larger  one  on  the  altar.  Still,  the  departure 
from  old  customs  shows  His  Majesty’s  desire  for 
improvement. 

Besides  the  preachings  given  in  wat-chapels, 
private  services  are  held  by  the  Siamese  monks 
at  houses  of  nobles  or  some  wealthy  citizens  by 
special  request.  The  object  is  to  give  the  host 
and  his  family  an  occasion  to  make  extra  merit. 

Each  Avat  has  also  its  library,  containing  the 
sacred  books  or  Buddhist  scriptures.  These  are 
in  the  immediate  charge  of  the  priests,  and  are 
regarded  as  the  most  holy  portion  of  the  wat. 
You  will  certainly  be  expected  to  remove  your 
slioes  at  the  door.  Siamese  libraries  are  not 
what  we  associate  with  the  word.  The  Wat 
P’hra  Keau  library  is  matted  with  silver  wire. 
In  the  centre  is  a large  pyramidal  chest  of  ebony 
inlaid  with  mother-of-pearl,  answering  for  our 
shelves,  where  the  books  are  kept.  IMost  libra- 
ries have  plainer  chests  or  closets  much  in  the 


THE  WATS  OF  STAM. 


289 


same  style.  Their  collection  of  sacred  books  forms 
a library  it  would  take  many  men  to  carry. 
When  a Siamese  understands  that  Christianity 
is  intended  to  supersede  Buddhism,  his  tendency 
is  to  despise  the  smallness  of  our  Bible  as  com- 
pared with  his  own  sacred  canon.  Besides,  he 
can  produce  no  mean  list  of  excellent  moral  pre- 
cepts, and  thinks  the  miracles  of  Buddha  no 
whit  behind  those  of  the  Bible. 

The  Siamese  received  their  sacred  canon  from 
Ceylon.  This  is  the  very  earliest  compilation 
that  history  can  point  out.  It  was  partly  re- 
duced to  writing,  after  being  handed  down  oral- 
ly for  several  generations,  about  93  a.  d.,  and 
the  whole  was  first  compiled  and  fixed  in  writ- 
ing 412  to  432  A.  D. 

If  on  a visit  to  such  a library  our  guide  proves 
to  be  that  rai'a  avis,  an  intelligent  Buddhist 
priest  of  the  reform  party  (among  whom  the  late 
king  was  the  prominent  leader),  he  would  tell 
you,  as  one  of  the  head-priests  explained  to  Mr. 
Caswell,  “ Here  are  two  piles  of  books.  The 
first  contains  the  instructions  of  Buddha;  the 
second  contains  the  writings  of  eminent  teachers 
of  Buddhism  who  lived  in  ancient  times.  The 
first  pile  our  party  receive  as  authority  in  relig- 
ion ; the  second  we  compare  with  the  first ; so 
far  as  it  disagrees  we  reject  it.”  In  answer  to  an 
inquiry  if  they  found  much  to  reject  in  the  sec- 
ond pile,  the  priest  said,  “Yes,  much,”  and  men- 

itf 


290 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


tioned  one  whole  set  of  more  tlian  five  hundred 
volumes  rejected. 

Under  the  infiuence  of  tliese  reformers,  so  far 
back  as  1844,  the  king  of  Siam  despatched  an 
embassy  to  Ceylon  to  make  further  religious 
researches  in  that  primitive  nursery  of  their 
faith.  These  liberal  views  continued  to  spread, 
following  the  introduction  of  printed  and  scien- 
tific works  by  our  missionaries ; the  more  intelli- 
gent nobles  and  priests  discovered  errors  in  the 
geography,  geology,  and  especially  astronomy, 
which  necessitated  the  discarding  of  much  for- 
merly held  sacred.  Here  was  planted  the  germ 
of  disintegration  now  busily  at  work  undermin- 
ing this  gigantic  system  of  atheism.  The  confi- 
dence of  many  is  shaken  in  the  ethical  teachings 
of  sacred  books  so  full  of  intellectual  and  moral 
despair. 

But  examine  this  Buddhist  collection : see 
how  unlike  our  books.  Here  is  a bundle  of 
palm-leaf  slips  from  a foot  to  eighteen  inches 
long  and  two  to  three  inches  broad,  filed  by 
strings  strung  through  each  end.  Notice  the 
richly-gilded  edges.  Do  not  these  strange  char- 
acters recall  the  dots  and  dashes  and  curious 
hieroglyphics  of  our  telegraph-operators?  These 
sacred  writings  are  engraved  with  an  iron  style, 
and  black  powder  is  rubbed  in  to  make  the  im- 
pression distinct.  After  finishing  your  examina- 
tion the  priest  wraps  them  with  reverent  care  in 


THE  WATS  OF  SIAM. 


291 


silk  or  muslin  and  returns  them  to  the  central 
ark  or  closet  already  described. 

Sometimes  in  the  wat  library  studious  priests 
are  found  sitting  on  the  floor,  each  with  his  book 
resting  on  a low  reading-stool  or  desk  before 
him,  but  they  will  probably  feign  not  to  notice 
us.  Some  high  priests  have  fine  private  collec- 
tions, including,  of  late  years,  English  and  French 
standard  works. 

Ordinary  Siamese  books  are  written  on  stiff 
paper  prepared  with  black  paste  to  receive  im- 
pressions from  a stone  pencil.  These  are  about 
a foot  broad  and  several  feet  long,  folded  zigzag 
to  form  pages  about  three  inches  deep.  When 
one  side  is  filled  the  sheet  is  turned  and  the 
subject  continued  on  the  reverse  side.  Some 
of  these  books  are  fully  illustrated  with  colored 
plates.  The  characters  are  written  from  right  to 
left,  and  almost  all  Siamese  composition,  except 
letter-writing,  is  metrical.  Outside  of  the  sa- 
cred writings  the  literature  is  meagre,  consisting 
mainly  of  chronicles  of  their  own  and  neighbor- 
ing countries,  dialogues,  low  plays  and  inferior 
romances — usually  war  or  love  adventures  bor- 
rowed from  remote  and  largely  fabulous  chron- 
icles of  their  early  history  : the  favorite  topic  of 
all  is  the  mythological  exploits  of  the  Hindoo 
god  Rama. 

But  a Siamese  wat  is  not  merely  a place  of 
worship ; most  of  all  it  is  a monastery.  You 


292 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


will  find  it  worth  while  to  glance  at  the  dormi- 
tories of  the  priests.  There  are  often  several 
hundred  inmates  in  a large  wat.  The  ordinary 
priests  and  novitiates  have  usually  rows  of  little 
cells,  almost  bare  of  furniture  except  the  cover- 
lets and  pillows  and  mosquito-nets  for  sleeping. 
In  others  there  are  neat  whitewashed  brick 
buildings  scattered  around  the  grounds,  putting 
you  in  mind  of  little  English  cottages.  The 
houses  of  the  abbot  and  prior  are  larger.  If  you 
call,  possibly  their  apartments  may  not  seem  in 
accord  with  the  primitive  simplicity  enjoined  by 
the  rules  of  their  order  on  Buddhist  priests. 
Some  head-priests  now-a-days  have  foreign  fur- 
niture, })ictures,  clocks  and  other  articles  de  luxe, 
and  pride  themselves  on  owning  a fairly  re])re- 
sentative  modern  library  and  scientific  instru- 
ments. 

Properly,  a Buddhist  monk  possesses  in  his 
own  right  eight  articles — viz.  three  robes,  a gir- 
dle, an  alms-bowl,  a razor,  a needle  and  a water- 
strainer,  this  last  that  he  may  not  unwittingly 
in  drinking  destroy  animal  life.  All  other  arti- 
cles accepted  in  charity  are  supposed  to  be  re- 
ceived on  behalf  of  the  chapter.  The  Siamese 
monk  must  observe  strict  celibacy,  refrain  from 
all  secular  avocations  and  eat  no  solid  food  after 
the  sun  has  passed  the  meridian.  Priests  are 
easily  recognized  by  their  yellow  robes  and 
shaven  heads.  In  going  about  they  usually 


THE  OF  SIAM. 


293 


feign  indifference  to  all  temporal  concerns  by 
walking  with  measured  pace,  apparently  noticing 
nothing. 

There  is  no  hereditary  priesthood.  Any  male 
enters  a wat  at  his  pleasure,  and  leaves  it  without 
rej^roach  to  return  to  secular  life : if  married, 
however,  he  must  be  divorced  before  entering. 
Every  man  is  expected  to  spend  more  or  less 
time  in  the  j)riesthood,  and  according  to  law  no 
one  can  serve  the  government  until  he  has  done 
so.  Little  boys  are  put  into  the  wats  as  pupils 
at  a very  early  age  (for  each  wat  is  more  or  less 
of  a public  school),  and  when  they  have  learned 
to  read  and  write  they  are  ready  to  put  on  the 
yellow  robes ; so  they  grow  up  to  manhood,  and 
often  to  middle  age,  amid  surroundings  only  cal- 
culated to  make  them  idle  and  frequently  vicious 
men. 

There  are  certain  special  months  for  entering 
and  for  leaving  the  priesthood.  The  shortest 
period  is  three  months.  During  this  portion  of 
the  year  the  number  is  much  larger,  as  many 
leave  after  a very  short  stay.  The  ceremonies 
of  ordination  are  simple,  consisting  in  the  ton- 
sure  of  the  candidate,  prayers  repeated  by  the 
priest,  bathing  with  holy  water  and  assuming 
the  yellow  robe — something  like  the  old  Roman 
tunic  in  shape,  with  a scarf  thrown  over  the 
shoulders.  Such  services  are  accompanied  by 
the  distribution  of  largess  to  the  priests  and  the 


294 


SIAM  AyD  LAOS. 


poor — but  chiefly  to  the  former — and  often  by 
prolonged  feasting.  To  defray  the  expenses  of 
ordinations  is  considered  an  act  of  merit,  and 
every  Siamese  spends  as  much  for  this  purpose 
as  his  means  will  allow.  AVomen  make  merit  by 
weaving  and  staining  the  yellow  robes  freely  dis- 
tributed on  such  occasions. 

It  is  the  duty  of  priests  to  ordain  others  as 
priests ; to  consecrate  idols  and  temples ; to  as- 
sist in  wedding  and  funeral  rites ; to  read  the 
Pali  hymns  and  prayers  (of  which  he  acquires 
at  least  a parrot  knowledge)  ; and  to  instruct 
the  boys  entrusted  to  his  supervision.  There 
are  also  the  Nams,  or  novices,  too  young  to  take 
full  orders.  Every  superior  priest  has  special 
disci})les,  who  look  to  him  for  counsel,  prostrate 
themselves  on  entering  his  presence,  and  other- 
wise evince  profound  respect,  almost  adoration. 

In  Bangkok  alone  there  are  thousands  of 
priests  dependent  on  charity  for  daily  bread. 
The  Buddhist  code  makes  no  distinction  be- 
tween prince  and  peasant  in  the  priesthood. 
All  must  eat  only  what  has  been  given  in 
alms,  and  when  in  health  each  is  expected  to 
carry  around  the  alms-bowl.  This  is  slung  from 
the  neck  and  covered  with  the  robe,  except  when 
alms  are  received.  It  is  estimated  that  it  costs 
Siam  twenty-five  million  dollars  annually  to  keep 
up  this  immense  army  of  priestly  mendicants  and 
religious  ceremonials. 


BUDDHIST  PEIESTS  GATHERING  FOOD. 


296 


SIAM  AXD  LAOS. 


The  majority  of  priests  readily  acknowledge 
mercenary  motives  for  assuming  the  yellow 
robe.  “ The  wats  are  more  comfortable  than 
our  dwellings,”  they  say.  “ Disciples  paddle 
our  canoes;  our  food  and  clothes  are  given  us; 
we  are  not  required  to  work.  Before  we  became 
priests  the  people  looked  upon  us  as  vagabonds ; 
now  they  almost  worship  us.”  Yet  in  most  in- 
stances the  only  change  is  the  shaA-^n  head  and 
yellow  robe  and  the  alms-bowl.  Some  Buddhist 
monks  are  devout,  spending  their  lives  in  wats, 
or  in  forests  and  caves  as  hermits,  meditating  on 
the  virtues  of  Buddha  and  striving  to  attain  Ni- 
pan.  Over  these  exceptional  studious  and  moral 
monks  Buddhism  doubtless  exerts  a restraining 
influence,  yet  even  such  lives  are  dreary,  and 
manifest  little  zeal  constraining  to  efforts  for 
national  reform. 

The  ceremonial  details  of  wat-life  are  monoto- 
nous. Monks  rise  at  daybreak.  At  about  seven 
the  streets  of  Bangkok  are  crowded  with  these 
yellow-robed  gentry  paddled  around  with  their 
rice-bowls  from  door  to  door.  At  eight  they  re- 
turn to  breakfast  in  a large  hall,  which,  with  the 
kitchen  and  its  enormous  rice-boilers,  is  worthy 
of  a passing  look.  The  last  meal  of  the  day  is 
taken  before  noon.  Priests  are  supposed  to  de- 
vote themselves  to  meditation  and  study,  but  tha 
majority  are  illiterate  and  often  vicious — “ idle- 
ness personified.”  About  sunset,  assembled  for 


THE  WATS  OF  SIAM. 


297 


united  prayer,  their  loud  singsong  drawl  can  be 
heard  some  distance  off.  The  beating  of  a drum 
closes  the  wat-day. 

Each  chapter  is  under  the  direction  of  a chief 
priest,  and  the  larger  ones  have  a sort  of  second 
chief  priest.  Their  authority  is  confined  to  re- 
proof, and  in  extreme  cases  to  expulsion.  They 
can  only  enforce  the  rules  of  the  order. 

Wats  built  by  the  royal  family  or  nobility 
are  called  Wat  Hhang,  or  “royal  wats.”  The 
wats  of  the  people  are  Wat  Ratsadom.  Church 
and  State  are  one.  The  king  is  supreme  in  re- 
ligion as  in  the  government,  and  aj>points  two 
hierarchs — one  for  the  north  and  one  for  the 
south.  The  title  of  this  high  priest  is  Pra  Sang 
Karat,  and  he  resides  in  one  of  the  chief  wats, 
and  has  no  spiritual  or  temporal  authority  except 
over  the  wats  and  monks.  He  has  an  assistant 
second  only  in  rank.  Ko  priest  is  qualified  to 
ordain  without  a license  from  the  Sang  Karat. 
Then  come  the  Somdet  Chows,  from  whom  the 
head-priests  of  the  royal  wats  are  chosen— the 
abbots  of  the  great  monasteries,  I suppose  we 
would  call  them.  The  Tananookans,  one  of 
whom  assists  each  head-priest,  are  next  in  cler- 
ical rank.  The  head-priests  of  the  common  peo- 
]'le’s  wats  are  called  Sompans.  Lastly  comC\the 
mass  of  ordinary  priests,  among  whom  there  are 
Palats  and  other  minor  officers,  Avho  take  a cer- 
tain rank  above  the  ordinary  brotherhood.  The 


298 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


Nains,  or  novitiates,  are  not  included  in  the  above 
classes,  though  they  too  don  the  yellow  robes, 
shave  their  heads  and  fast  as  their  elders.  A 
lad  must  be  at  least  eight  years  old  and  receive 
the  consent  of  his  parents  before  becoming  a priest. 
He  usually  begins  his  connection  with  the  wat  as 
a pupil,  living  for  some  years  under  the  care  of 
some  priest  who  is  a friend  of  the  family. 

AVorldly  concerns  connected  with  wats  are  in 
the  hands  of  secular  attendants  clad  in  white, 
who  also  perform  the  menial  services  about  the 
grounds  and  at  funerals.  We  would  call  them 
sextons. 

Nuns  are  not  numerous  in  Siam.  The  profes- 
sion does  not  command  respect.  The  people  look 
upon  it  as  a more  respectable  mode  of  begging. 
Those  who  take  such  vows  are  mostly  poor  old 
women,  who  wear  white  and  live  in  humble  huts 
near,  but  not  within,  the  wat-grounds. 

When  the  king  pays  his  annual  visit  to  the 
royal  wats,  on  entering  the  temple  he  takes  off 
his  ^hoes,  then,  lifting  his  hands  containing  the 
offerings  above  his  head,  he  bows  low  before  the 
image  of  Buddha.  He  concludes  by  making  sim- 
ilar obeisance  to  the  superior  j3riests  and  bestow- 
ing the  customary  gifts.  The  chief  priests  and 
monks  sit  unmoved  during  the  ceremony. 

No  one  can  be  long  in  Siam  without  being 
astonished  at  the  large  part  which  the  wat  occu- 
pies as  a social  centre  in  the  every-day  life  of  the 


THE  WATS  OF  SIAM. 


299 


people.  The  Siamese  traveler  rests  in  the  salas. 
You  meet  a Siamese  woman  and  ask  where  she 
is  going;  the  probability  is  she  is  on  her  road  to 
some  temple  to  make  merit  with  her  offerings  or  by 
listening  to  preaching.  Go  to  the  priests’  quar- 
ters, and  yon  find  there  not  only  a large  propor- 
tion of  the  fathers,  brothers  and  older  sons,  but 
mere  children  of  seven  and  eight  years  old.  The 
bodies  of  the  dead  are  carried  there  to  be  burned. 
The  people  also  frequently  meet  together  at  the 
different  temples  to  make  feasts  and  give  presents 
to  their  jndests. 

The  wats  outside  of  Bangkok,  though  the 
buildings  are  generally  of  cheaper  construction, 
occupy  delightful  sites  and  have  extensive 
grounds.  J3r.  McFarland,  going  to  Petcha- 
buree,  stopped  at  the  sala  of  a country  wat. 
“We  found  the  grounds,”  he  says,  “crowded 
with  men  and  boys  in  great  excitement,  evi- 
dently awaiting  some  unusual  occurrence.  Pres- 
ently boats  began  to  arrive  and  unload  their 
treasures  of  fruit  and  depart,  perhaps  for  more. 
Before  our  company  had  all  finished  their  break- 
fast we  found  it  difficult  to  keep  our  place  at  the 
landing.  We  were  told  that  this  was  a lakon. 
This  immense  gathering  of  fruits  and  other 
offerings  is  presented  with  ceremonies  of  music 
and  dancing  to  their  god,  and  afterward  the 
priests  stow  it  aw'ay  and  feast  upon  it  for  many 
days  to  come.  Thus  spending  the  day  in  amuse- 


300 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


ment,  at  the  same  time  they  make  merit  for  the 
future.  Some  thiiiojs  in  this  heathen  ceremony 
reminded  the  missionary  of  the  county  fairs  he 
liad  attended  in  tlie  West,  crowds  of  people — 
men,  women  and  children — in  their  richest  ap- 
j)arel,  bringing  their  choicest  fruit  and  most  val- 
uable articles,  but  not  for  exhibition ; they  come 
to  spend  the  day  in  frolic  and  olfer  their  fruits 
to  a heathen  deity.” 

The  Siamese  wat  embodies  “ a theory  which 
extracted  and  remodeled  the  best  ideas  of  ancient 
llrahmanism — a religion  that  has  not  only  been 
able  to  subsist  for  more  than  two  thousand  years, 
but  which  has  drawn  within  the  meshes  of  its 
own  peculiar  church  organization,  and  brought 
more  or  less  under  the  influence  of  its  peculiar 
tenets,  fully  one-third  of  the  human  race.  Such 
a system  ought  to  have  enough  importance  in 
our  eyes  to  deserve  something  more  than  passing 
or  passive  attention.” 

This  study  of  a Siamese  wat  gives  us  the  j)rac- 
tical  aspects  of  this  much-vaunted  ci'eed  in  the 
hands  of  the  common  people,  proving  that  the 
influence  of  these  great  centres  of  classic  Buddh- 
ism hinders  the  material  prosperity  and  dwarfs 
the  intellectual  and  moral  development  of  the 
nation.  Allowing  full  credit  for  its  good  pre- 
cepts, the  visitor  who  closely  studies  the  actual 
outworkings  of  the  Buddhist  wat  finds  a worshij) 
that  degrades ; alms-giving  that  floods  the  land 


THE  OF  SIAM. 


301 


with  sturdy,  lazy  beggars ; a monastic  system 
that  encourages  violation  of  the  sacred  family 
ties ; and  in  not  a few  instances  hotbeds  of  vice 
for  the  most  promising  youth  of  the  kingdom. 

But  BuddhisTii  is  losing  ground  in  Siam.  One 
of  the  earliest  signs  of  progress  was  a royal  order 
years  ago  which  reduced  the  vast  number  of  in- 
mates of  the  wats.  On  the  eve  of  war  with  Co- 
chin-China the  king,  wishing  to  draw  a large 
number  of  soldiers,  found  multitudes  had  taken 
refuge  in  the  priesthood.  A set  of  questions  was 
therefore  drawn  up,  and  notice  given  that  all 
priests  who  failed  to  pass  a satisfactory  exami- 
nation were  to  be  degraded  and  sent  to  war  at 
the  king’s  pleasure.  Thousands  were  frightened 
from  their  cool,  costly  wats  hack  to  their  bamboo 
huts.  It  is  said  four  hundred  deserted  a single 
wat  in  less  than  a week. 

Moreover,  in  the  late  zeal  for  reform  some 
principal  festivals  have  been  given  up.  The 
wat- visitations  are  now  mostly  looked  upon  as 
national  gala-days  for  popular  display,  lively 
music,  theatricals  and  boat-races.  The  present 
building  of  temples  and  religious  ceremonials 
are  far  more  largely  from  motives  of  pride  and 
political  expediency  than  matters  of  faith.  The 
present  king  and  many  of  the  younger  nobles  are 
too  enlightened  to  be  devout  Buddhists. 

Two  significant  signs  may  be  noted  to  show 
the  change.  “ AVe  came,”  says  a late  traveler  in 


302 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


Siam,  “ to  the  Wat  Sail  Kate  jiagocla,  situated  in 
a vast  enclosure,  containing,  after  the  usual  ar- 
rangement, two  or  three  temjiles,  with  huge  gilt 
images  of  Buddha  within,  a large  building  for 
preaching,  the  dwellings  of  the  jiriests  and  many 
pavilions  for  the  use  of  worshipers ; but  the 
grounds  ivere  in  a very  dilapidated  state.  The 
king  had  recently  turned  adrift  all  the  priests, 
several  hundred  of  them,  to  earn  an  honest  liv- 
ing by  hard  work,  and  so  the  wat  was  closed  to 
the  public.”  The  other  fact  is  equally  hopeful — 
a new  interest  on  the  part  of  the  rulers  of  the 
land  in  the  education  of  the  young.  Until  re- 
cently the  Siamese  kings  have  spent  compara- 
tively little  on  public  works  which  are  common 
to  other  countries  of  Asia — bridges,  roads,  schools 
and  hospitals — but  lavished  their  treasures  on  the 
wats.  But  a recent  letter  mentions  the  latest  m 
memoriam  of  a Buddhist  princess : “I  wish  much 
I could  get  you  a good  photograph  of  the  new 
school-building,  the  one  that  is  being  erected  to 
the  memory  of  the  late  queen.  As  it  approaches 
completion  it  is  looking  very  handsome,  and 
might  be  a beautiful  tribute  to  the  memory  of 
a queen  of  a much  more  civilized  country.” 


RUINS  OF  A TEMPLE  AND  STATUE  OF  BUDDHA  AT  AYUTHIA. 


PART  ILL 

HISTOEICAL  SKETCHES. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  SIAM. 

OF  immense  advantage  to  the  Buddhist  faith, 
and  equally  an  obstacle  to  the  development 
of  any  other  religion,  is  the  fact  that  Siamese 
history,  on  being  traced  back  beyond  the  middle 
of  the  fourteenth  century,  becomes  chaotic  and 
obscure,  affording  abundant  opportunity  to  the 
priests  to  fabricate  any  ingenious  theories  which 
they  may  desire.  By  a splendid  piece  of  flattery 
they  have  taught  the  Siamese  sovereigns  that  they 
are  lineal  descendants  of  Buddha,  and  that  the 
people  themselves  have  sprung  from  his  first  dis- 
ciples. Thus  ruler  and  people  are  alike  interest- 
ed in  the  support  of  a religious  system  which  is 
identified  with  their  own  origin.  Through  all 
the  early  periods  of  their  history  the  miracles  of 
Buddha  are  interspersed  with  a lavish  hand.  An- 
cient matrimonial  alliances  of  the  Siamese  princes 

304 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  SIAM. 


305 


with  all  other  leading  monarchs  of  the  world,  and 
imposing  embassies  and  fabulous  wars  with  neigh- 
boring countries,  and  no  end  of  marvelous  legends 
of  a mythological  character,  are  also  woven  into 
the  doubtful  narrative. 

The  best  historian  that  the  country  has  had 
was  the  late  king,  father  of  the  present  ruler, 
who,  owing  to  a usurpation  of  his  rightful  sove- 
reignty by  an  elder  and  illegitimate  brother,  was 
led  to  spend  some  years  in  a Buddhist  monastery, 
where  he  gave  himself  to  study  and  became,  under 
the  circumstances,  a rather  remarkable  scholar. 
According  to  his  authority.  King  Tuang  as  early 
as  A.  D.  457  introduced  the  Siamese  alphabet, 
which  he  handed  over  to  a conclave  of  Buddh- 
ist priests.  His  reign  was  distinguished  by  the 
possession  of  a white  elephant  with  black  tusks ! 
— a very  important  fact  from  a Siamese  point  of 
view. 

Authentic  history,  however,  begins  wuth  a.  d. 
1350,  from  which  date  the  succession  of  kings  is 
directly  traced.  The  ancient  capital  of  Ayuthia, 
which  was  then  established,  occupied  the  site  of  a 
still  more  ancient  ruined  city.  There  had  been 
j ^ frequent  wars  with  the  Laos  and  the  princes  of 
Pegu,  involving  an  obscure  succession  of  dynas- 
ties. 

For  about  two  hundred  years  the  kingdom  en- 
joyed peace,  and  Ayuthia  became  a great  and 
wealthy  capital.  In  1556,  however,  the  king  of 
20 


306 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


Pegu  again  conquered  tlie  country,  though  upon 
the  death  of  the  king  the  Siamese  princes,  to 
whom  the  throne  properly  belonged,  regained 
the  power. 

About  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  century 
the  country  received  a great  imjDulse  in  civiliza- 
tion from  a Greek  merchant,  Constantine  Faul- 
kon,  who  through  skill  and  success  in  business 
and  his  general  public  spirit,  became  a great 
favorite  of  the  king  and  his  court,  and  who 
seems  to  have  devoted  himself  to  the  introduc- 
tion of  European  improvements  of  every  kind, 
lie  received  from  the  king  the  highest  titles, 
with  great  power  and  influence.  Under  his 
direction  forts  were  built  on  the  banks  of  the 
Menam  and  new  palaces  were  erected.  He  also 
built  a church,  the  ruins  of  which  still  exist. 
He  greatly  improved  the  canal  system,  which 
is  almost  as  important  to  Bangkok  and  Lower 
Siam  as  that  of  Holland  is  to  it.  Aqueducts 
were  constructed  also  for  supplying  the  city 
with  water  from  the  neighboring  mountains. 
At  length,  becoming  an  object  of  envy  on  the 
part  of  Siamese  officials,  he  was  assassinated. 

In  1759  the  king  of  Burmah  with  an  immense 
army  laid  siege  to  Ayuthia,  which,  after  two  years, 
was  comiDelled  to  surrender.  The  king  was  slain, 
and  a long  struggle  followed,  after  which,  in  1767, 
the  Burmese,  having  gained  complete  possession 
of  the  country,  appointed  a king  of  Peguan  ori- 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  SIAM. 


307 


gin  to  hold  the  sceptre.  By  this  time  the  coun- 
try was  full  of  armed  bands  of  outlaws,  who,  like 
the  Saxons  under  the  Norman  Conquest,  proved 
irrepressible,  and  after  the  withdrawal  of  the 
Burmese  army  anarchy  bore  sway. 

An  Ambitious  Chinaman  on  the  Siamese 
Throne. 

Among  the  leaders  of  these  robber-bands  was 
a shrewd  and  valiant  Chinaman  bearing  the 
name  of  Pin  Tat.  This  man,  at  the  time  thir- 
ty-three years  of  age  and  of  unbounded  ambi- 
tion, rose  by  a series  of  military  and  civil  pro- 
motions to  the  very  highest  influence.  What  his 
sword  could  not  achieve  in  battle  his  finesse  and 
bribery  completed.  Betraying  the  high  trusts 
reposed  in  him,  and  gathering  to  his  standard 
all  available  robbers  and  pirates,  he  was  enabled 
to  dictate  terms  to  the  government  until  he  gained 
possession  of  all  the  northern  districts.  He  then 
marched  with  a large  force  against  the  Burmese 
governor  of  Bangkok,  whom  he  surprised  and 
put  to  death,  availing  himself  of  his  treasures  as 
his  “ sinews  of  war.” 

He  was  now  strong  enough  to  overcome  the 
Burmese  at  every  point;  and  so  thoroughly  did 
he  succeed  in  ridding  the  country  from  their 
thraldom  that  he  won  the  gratitude  of  the  peo- 
ple, who  gladly  favored  his  assumption  of  royal 
authority.  He  displayed  great  genius  in  the  ad- 


308 


67.1.1/  LAOS. 


ministration  of  affairs,  colonized  and  rebuilt  the 
devastated  districts  of  the  country,  and,  profiting 
by  a sanguinary  war  between  China  and  Burmah, 
conquered  new  territory  on  the  north.  It  was 
during  his  reign  that  the  Siamese  power  was  ex- 
tended far  down  the  Malay  Peninsula,  whose  gov- 
ernor he  captured,  and  finally,  through  a matri- 
monial alliance  with  his  daughter,  placed  him  in 
power  as  a tributary.  This  remarkable  China- 
man, after  a reign  of  fifteen  years  under  the  title 
of  Phya-Jak,  sank  into  a state  of  melancholy,  and 
was  assassinated  in  1782. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  present  century  the 
English  endeavored  to  negotiate  a treaty  with 
Siam,  but  with  little  success,  and  it  was  not  until 
1826  that  negotiations  in  that  direction  were 
crowned  with  success.  It  was  soon  after  that  the 
first  Protestant  missions  were  established.  We 
find  Dr.  Gutslaf  in  Bangkok  in  1828,  where  he 
finished  the  translation  of  the  New  Testament 
into  Siamese.  In  1830  he  revisited  Siam,  and 
translated  a part  of  the  Scriptures  into  the  lan- 
o;uages  of  Cambodia  and  the  Laos.  The  Amer- 
ican  Baptists  founded  their  mission  to  the 
Chinese  in  Siam  soon  after.  The  Presbyterian 
mission  was  founded  in  1840,  and  that  of  the 
American  Board  (since  discontinued)  in  1850. 

The  Homan  Catholics  had  gained  a footing 
previous  to  1780,  but  in  that  year  they  were  ex- 
pelled on  pain  of  death.  They  gradually  reap- 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  SIAM. 


309 


peared.  In  1851  the  illegitimate  brother  of  the 
late  king,  who  had  usurped  his  power  as  related 
above,  died,  and  the  rightful  prince,  Chao  Phra, 
ascended  the  throne  under  the  name  of  Soradet 
Phra.  His  taste  for  learning  led  him  also  to 
adopt  a more  enlightened  policy  with  respect  to 
other  nations.  The  French  Catholic  bishop 
Pallegoix  at  once  addressed  to  him  a letter  of 
congratulation,  and  presented  him  with  a por- 
trait of  Napoleon  III.,  then  President  of  the 
French  Republic.  In  return  for  this  courtesy 
the  king  revoked  the  decree  of  banishment 
against  the  Catholics,  and  in  1852  sent  volun- 
tary messengers  to  Napoleon  and  to  the  pope. 
To  the  latter  he  sent  an  autograph  letter  written 
in  English.  At  the  same  time  this  enlightened 
king  employed  an  English  governess  to  instruct 
his  children.  The  progressive  character  of  the 
present  king  is  undoubtedly  due  in  part  to  the 
influences  under  which  his  education  was  con- 
ducted. 

The  French  have  continued  to  exert  consider- 
able influence,  perhaps  the  English  still  more, 
while  for  the  Americans  the  king  has  expressed 
his  respect  more  fully  than  for  any  others. 

Not  one  half  century  ago  Siam  was  sealed 
against  the  entrance  of  all  foreigners,  whether 
as  traders  or  missionaries.  To-day  she  is  in 
treaty  relation  with  all  Christian  countries,  and 
the  j)rescnt  king  desii’cs  that  these  treaty  rela- 


310 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


tions  shall  be  most  faithfully  observed.  lu  the 
city  of  Bangkok  there  are  large  business-houses 
conducted  by  foreign  merchants.  The  flags  of 
all  countries  float  over  the  city.  Steam  rice- 
mills  are  developing  rice-culture : steam  saw- 
mills are  creating  a large  trade  in  valuable 
lumber.  Foreigners  are  also  beginning  to  erect 
steam-mills  in  other  parts  of  the  land.  Good 
inducements  are  offered  to  foreigners  to  enter 
the  various  departments  of  trade,  and  full  pro- 
tection is  given. 

The  king  of  Siam  has  been  classed  among  the 
most  humane  and  liberal  of  heathen  monarchs. 
He  has  manifested  his  desire  in  many  ways  for 
the  improvement  of  his  country  and  people. 
Near  his  palace  in  Bangkok  may  be  found  a 
large  substantial  building  known  as  the  “Royal 
Mint,”  furnished  with  improved  machinery  from 
Europe.  It  furnishes  beautiful  copper  coins,  a 
good  substitute  for  the  little  shells  and  pieces  of 
lead  used  as  money  a few  years  ago ; also  hand- 
some silver  coins,  a decided  improvement  on  the 
round,  bullet-shaped  silver  coins  of  the  last  reign. 
Near  this  mint  may  be  found  comfortable  bar- 
racks for  the  royal  soldiers,  and  near  this  the 
Royal  Museum,  containing  much  of  interest 
from  the  countries  of  the  world.  This  institu- 
tion has  an  educational  influence,  for  its  doors 
are  open  a few  days  in  each  year  to  all  the 
people  in  the  kingdom. 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  SIAM. 


311 


The  king  has  also  short  telegraph-lines,  and  is 
now  surveying  and  negotiating  for  telegraphic 
coramunication  with  the  outside  world.  A line 
is  proposed  over  to  British  Burniah,  and  another 
over  to  Saigon  in  French  Cochin-China. 

The  king  has  also  issued  an  order  for  a postal 
system  [since  carried  into  effect].  In  the  man- 
date are  these  words : “ His  Majesty  the  king 
observes  that  the  commerce  of  the  capital  and 
provinces  of  Siam  is  greatly  in  excess  of  former 
times,  and  that  whatever  is  a means  of  advanc- 
ing the  happiness  and  prosperity  of  the  people 
will  tend  to  the  national  glory.  His  Majesty 
has  determined  to  foster  the  commerce  and  wel- 
fare of  the  people,  that  they  shall  be  ever  jjro- 
gressive.”  Orders  have  been  issued  for  director- 
ies, numbers  on  houses,  etc.,  etc.  AVe  may  there- 
fore hope  that  Siam  will  soon  be  in  the  postal 
union  of  the  world  and  abreast  Avith  the  age. 

In  1882,  Siam  had  its  centennial  celebration 
of  the  establishment  of  Bangkok  as  capital.  The 
king  in  his  annual  speech,  made  the  previous 
October,  said  : “ The  exhibition  will  be  given  so 
that  the  people  may  observe  the  difference  be- 
tween the  methods  used  to  earn  a living  one 
hundred  years  ago  and  those  now  used,  and 
see  what  progress  has  been  made,  and  note  the 
plants  and  fruits  useful  for  trade  and  the  im- 
proved means  of  living.  We  believe  this  ex- 
hibition will  be  beneficial  to  the  country.” 


312 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


The  king  also  desires  the  education  of  Siam’s 
people,  as  manifest  in  his  establishing  a college 
under  the  guidance  of  one  of  our  missionaries  as 
minister  of  public  instruction.  A general  educa- 
tional system  may  be  expected. 

The  Bangkok  Centennial. 

Miss  ]\Iary  Hartwell  of  Bangkok  describes  the 
centennial  anniversary  of  the  establishment  of 
the  present  dynasty  and  of  that  city  as  the  cap- 
ital. These  two  events  were  celebrated  by  an 
exhibition  in  which  was  shown  the  progress 
made  during  the  century  in  the  various  arts 
and  manufactures  : 

“ Nothing  in  the  late  Siamese  Exposition  was 
more  significant  than  its  school-exhibit.  The 
Royal  College  was  solicited  to  make  an  exhibit 
representing  the  work  done  in  the  school.  This 
consisted  chiefly  of  specimens  of  writing  in  Siam- 
ese and  English,  translations  and  solutions  of 
problems  in  arithmetic,  the  school-furniture,  the 
text-books  used,  and  the  various  helps  employed 
in  teaching,  such  as  the  microscope,  magnets, 
electric  batteries,  etc.  The  Siamese  mind  is 
peculiarly  adapted  to  picking  up  information 
by  looking  at  things  and  asking  questions,  and 
it  is  believed  that  this  exhibit  will  not  only  en- 
hance the  reputation  of  the  college,  but  give  the 
Siamese  some  new  ideas  on  the  subject  of  edu- 
cation. 


ATTACIIK  OF  f^IAMKSE  ExMBASSV  ; COURT  COSTUME  IN  1883. 


314 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


“ Miss  Olmstead  and  I,  together  with  our  assist- 
ant, Ma  Tiien,  have  been  training  little  fingers 
in  fancy-work,  or  rather  overseeing  the  finishing 
up  of  things,  to  go  into  the  exhibition.  April  25 
we  placed  our  mats,  tidies,  afghans,  rugs,  cush- 
ions, needle-books,  edgings,  work-bags  and  lam- 
brequins in  the  cases  allotted  to  our  school  in 
the  Queen’s  Room,  and  on  the  26th  we  were 
again  at  our  post  as  exhibitors  to  receive  His 
Majesty  the  king  and  give  him  our  salutations 
upon  his  first  entrance  at  the  grand  opening. 
While  we  were  looking  for  him  in  one  direction 
he  suddenly  entered  from  another,  followed  by 
his  brothers  and  other  members  of  his  court  and 
the  consular  dignitaries.  We  did  not  see  him 
until  he  had  walked  up  the  long  and  magnifi- 
cent hall  and  was  within  half  a dozen  paces  of 
us.  He  was  dressed  in  a perfectly -fitting  suit  of 
navy-blue  broadcloth,  without  any  gaudy  trap- 
pings, and  never  did  he  wear  a more  becoming 
suit.  His  face  was  radiant  with  joy,  and  his 
quick,  elastic  step  soon  brought  him  to  us.  He 
uttered  an  exclamation  of  pleasure  at  seeing  us 
there,  shook  our  hands  most  cordially,  took  a 
hasty  survey  of  our  exhibits,  and  then  cried  out 
with  boyish  enthusiasm,  ‘These  things  are  beau- 
tiful, mem  ; did  you  make  them  ?’ — ‘ Oh  no,’ 
I responded  ; ‘ we  taught  the  children,  and  they 
made  them.’ — ‘ Have  you  many  scholars  ?’  was 
his  next  question. — ‘About  thirty-one,’  I an- 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  SIAM 


315 


swerecl.  Turning  again  to  the  cases,  he  exclaimed 
emphatically,  ‘ They  are  beautiful  things ! and  I 
am  coming  back  to  look  at  them  carefully — am 
in  haste  now.’  And  off  he  went  to  look  at  the 
other  unviewed  departments.  Since  then  we  see 
by  the  paper  published  in  Bangkok  that  His 
Majesty  has  paid  the  girls’  school  of  Bangkok 
the  high  compliment  of  declaring  himself  the 
purchaser  of  the  collection,  and  has  attached 
his  name  to  the  cases. 

“ The  centennial  is  voted  a success  by  all. 
There  are  fifty-four  departments,  and  each  is 
handsomely  arranged,  reflecting  great  credit 
upon  the  Siamese.  The  Queen’s  Boom  is  the 
richest  and  grandest  of  all.  It  is  devoted  to 
the  royal  jewels — that  is,  all  such  as  are  owned 
and  worn  by  the  queen  and  princesses ; clothing 
made  of  gold-lace  cloth  and  gold-embroidered 
cloth  of  heavier  but  fine  texture;  embroidery  on 
satin,  such  as  cushions,  curtains  and  bed-spreads; 
embroidery  in  worsteds ; vessels  of  gold,  silver 
and  a combination  of  gold  and  copper,  fine 
carved  work  in  ivory  and  artificial  flowers  of 
gold  and  silver.  The  royal  jewels  are  arranged 
on  a pyramid  about  ten  feet  high  and  shut  in  by 
a glass  cover.  The  whole  is  placed  under  a pa- 
goda of  bright  blue,  trimmed  with  white,  which 
spreads  out  over  it,  but  does  not  hide  the  jewels. 
The  latter  consist  of  rings,  anklets,  bracelets,  ear- 
jewels  and  necklaces.  The  collection  of  these 


316 


SIA3I  AND  LAOS. 


diamonds,  emeralds  and  other  precious  stones  is 
valued  at  five  million  dollars,  to  say  nothing  of 
the  gold  lunch-baskets  eighteen  inches  in  height 
and  as  much  or  more  in  circumference,  the  solid 
gold  soup-dishes  and  ladles,  the  tea-pots,  betel- 
trays,  meat-dishes  and  a thousand  other  things 
made  of  the  same  precious  materials,  and  many 
of  silver  also.  This  magnificence  is  beyond  de- 
scription in  such  narrow  limits  as  a letter.  Scar- 
let and  gold  are  freely  mingled  in  cloth,  and 
everything  is  gorgeous  that  meets  the  eye  in  that 
room.  The  exhibition  buildings  radiate  from  a 
high  domed  theatre  in  the  central  part  of  the 
grounds,  and  these  again  have  halls  crossing 
their  extremities,  in  the  form  of  our  Capitol. 
The  Queen’s  Room  and  the  one  adjoining,  dec- 
orated constantly  with  fresh-cut  flowers  (under 
the  supervision  of  the  queen’s  sister,  herself  also 
a wife  of  the  king),  are  the  only  rooms  enclosed 
with  substantial  teak-wood  boards  alternating 
with  ornamental  glass  windows,  the  whole  form- 
ing nicely-finished  and  beautiful  walls.  The 
second  king’s  department  is  next  in  beauty  of 
finish,  and  then  come  those  of  the  highest 
princes.  All  have  vied  with  each  other  in  their 
attempt  to  make  the  finest  show.  On  Friday 
preceding  the  opening  the  king  dedicated  a 
monument  to  the  founder  of  the  present  dy- 
nasty, and  one  to  some  other  dead  man  (I 
forget  his  name),  and  they  had  a wonderful 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  SIAM. 


317 


procession.  The  king  was  borne  in  state  on  a 
royal  litter,  and  was  dressed  in  his  suit  of  gold- 
cloth and  wore  his  crown  of  gold  and  diamonds. 
He  looked  just  like  an  idol.  He  had  to  sit  so 
erect  and  still,  he  appeared  almost  as  motionless 
as  the  images  you  see  in  the  pictures  of  the  idol 
gods,  except  that  with  his  left  hand  he  dipped 
silver  coins  out  of  a bowl  of  solid  gold  which 
was  fixed  on  the  post  of  the  litter  and  threw 
them  broadcast  with  his  right  hand  at  intervals. 
How  the  children  and  common  people  did  strug- 
gle to  obtain  those  little  coins ! The  procession 
was  made  up  of  soldiers  from  the  cavalry,  artil- 
lery and  infantry,  and  there  were  also  maiiy 
bands  of  soldiers  equipped  with  the  spear,  the 
battle-axe,  the  bow  and  arrow,  and  all  sorts  of 
ancient  weapons  such  as  were  used  a hundred 
years  ago.  I think  that  was  a proud  day  for 
the  king,  but  if  I could  judge  from  his  face,  the 
opening  day  of  the  Centennial  Exhibition  was 
the  proudest,  happiest  day  of  his  life.  His  face 
beamed  with  joy,  and  every  word,  look  and 
movement  denoted  keen  satisfaction  with  all  his 
eyes  beheld.  We  are  praying  that  good  results 
may  follow — far  better  than  His  Majesty  antici- 
pated.” 

Recent  Events. 

[From  the  Siam  Weekly  Advertiser,  September  22,  1883.] 

His  Majesty,  the  king  of  Siam,  has  graciously 
responded  to  the  appeal  in  behalf  of  the  Nether- 


318 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


lands  India  sufferers  [from  tlie  volcanic  erup- 
tions and  earthquakes  in  Java]  by  sending  a 
telegraphic  despatch  of  sympathy  to  the  gov- 
ernor-general and  a donation  of  $4800.  Her 
Majesty,  the  queen  of  Siam,  has  likewise  most 
graciously  given  a donation  for  the  same  pur- 
pose of  $4200. 

“The  line  of  telegraph  from  Bangkok  to  Saigon 
in  French  Cochin-China,  recently  completed, 
which  on  the  16th  of  July  last  put  Siam  in 
immediate  communication  with  the  rest  of  the 
world,  is  working  most  successfully,  as  is  also  the 
local  mail  system,  which  this  progressive  ruler 
has  just  established  in  the  capital  of  his  domin- 
ions. Of  these  he  speaks  in  his  royal  speech  in 
reply  to  the  congratulations  tendered  him  on  his 
thirtieth  birthday,  September  21,  1883 : 

“ . . . ‘ This  year  has  been  especially  marked 
by  the  opening  of  telegraphic  communication  via 
Saigon  with  Europe  and  the  world.  We  are  well 
pleased  by  the  energy  with  which  our  commis- 
sioners and  the  provincial  officers  labored  in 
erecting  this  line,  and  we  gladly  take  occasion 
to  thank  the  government  of  French  Cochin- 
China,  the  consulate  of  France  at  Bangkok  and 
the  French  engineers  who  assisted  in  its  con- 
struction. 

“ ‘ Our  commissioners  and  provincial  officers 
have  also  with  great  rapidity  set  up  a line  to 
the  frontier  of  Tavoy,  and  when  the  British 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  SIAM. 


319 


portion  is  completed,  next  season,  we  shall  be 
doubly  linked  to  the  telegraph-lines  pervading 
the  world. 

“ ‘ The  post-office  now  delivers  letters  with  reg- 
ularity throughout  the  capital  and  its  suburbs. 
The  use  made  of  it  has  surprisingly  exceeded 
our  expectations,  as  we  did  not  think  that  Siam- 
ese would  write  so  many  letters.  We  are  now 
most  desirous  to  extend  the  postal  service 
throughout  Siam  to  the  great  advantage  of 
trade  and  good  government,  and  when  that  is 
done  we  hope,  as  invited  by  the  postmaster- 
general  of  Germany,  to  extend  our  correspond- 
ence through  the  world  by  entering  the  postal 
union.’  ” 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


MISSIONARY  LADIES  IN  THE  KING'S  PALACE. 

PAINT  to  your  fancy  a village  of  curious  Ori- 
ental houses,  with  a high,  thick  wall,  three 
miles  in  circuit,  surrounding  it.  In  this  village, 
or  miniature  city,  are  the  king’s  quarters.  Here 
are  temple-grounds  with  their  temples  and  idols 
and  all  their  rich  adornings,  whither  peoj)le  of 
many  generations  have  gone  to  worship  at  shrines 
which  their  own  hands  have  made.  Here  are 
the  dwellings  of  the  king’s  wives  and  the  resi- 
dences of  the  princesses,  old  and  young,  who 
cannot  be  allowed  to  marry  beneath  their  royal 
rank.  Each  lady  has  a separate  house  and  has 
her  retinue  of  servants — all  women.  There  is 
also  a market,  conducted  entirely  by  women. 
The  census  of  the  dwellers  in  this  palace  was 
once  taken,  and  it  amounted  to  three  thousand 
females.  This  included  the  king’s  wives,  prin- 
cesses with  their  servants,  the  market-women 
and  the  female  officers  of  the  court. 

In  1851  the  priest-prince  came  to  the  throne. 
He  was  the  son  of  a queen,  and  he  looked  uj)on 
his  older  brother  (the  son  of  an  inferior  wife, 

.■520 


3IISSI0NARIES  IN  THE  PALACE. 


321 


and  who  had  gained  possession  of  the  throne)  as 
a usurper.  Rumor  had  it  that  he  entered  the 
priesthood  that  he  might  avoid  bowing  down  be- 
fore his  brother  the  king.  However  this  may 
be,  he  assumed  the  yellow  robes  and  shaven  head 
and  entered  a wat,  where  he  gained  the  eminence 
of  high  ]:»riest.  There  he  remained  during  his 
brother’s  reign.  In  the  wat  he  gave  himself  up 
to  study,  in  which  he  made  great  proficiency, 
considering  his  circumstances.  In  his  brother’s 
reign  the  Christian  missionaries  were  kept  under 
strict  surveillance,  and  were  not  allowed  to  obtain 
homes  anywhere  in  the  kingdom  excepting  in 
Bangkok,  the  capital.  The  priest-prince  fre- 
quently visited  them  in  their  homes,  and  be- 
came familiar  with  their  work  and  learned  the 
object  of  their  coming  to  Siam.  He  took  up  tlie 
study  of  the  English  language,  and  for  a time 
employed  the  Rev.  Mr.  Caswell,  one  of  the  mis- 
sionaries, as  teacher,  giving  him  in  turn  the  i^i’iv- 
ilege  of  preaching  in  his  wat-grounds.  I recall 
some  of  his  visits  to  us.  One  evening  he  was 
attracted  by  the  picture  of  a tree  which  I had 
carefully  drawn  with  my  pencil  while  in  Amer- 
ica, and  which  had  been  beautifully  touched  up 
by  my  accomplished  teacher.  It  hung  upon  the 
^ dark  teak-wood  wall  of  our  drawing-room.  He 
seemed  surprised  that  with  the  hand  and  a mere 
]iencil  a picture  could  be  made  so  much  like  a 
fine  engraving.  AVe  gave  him  the  picture.  One 
21 


322 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


night  he  came  to  one  of  our  mission-hoinea  where 
there  was  a prayer-meeting.  He  remained  until  it 
was  over,  and,  accepting  a hymn-book,  followed 
the  words  of  the  hymn  sung. 

He  was  attracted  by  the  word  “ redemption,” 
and  when  the  prayers  were  over  he  said  to  one 
near  him,  “ Redemption  ? AVhat  is  it  ?”  It  was 
a new  English  word  to  him,  and  he  wished  to 
know  its  meaning,  but  the  way  he  put  the  ques- 
tion seemed  striking:  Redemption?  What  is 

it?”  May  each  one  who  reads  this  know  ex- 
perimentally Avhat  rede?nption  is ! 

Now,  these  years  in  the  wat,  when  the  prince 
could  spend  his  time  in  study  and  improve  his 
mind  by  mingling  with  the  good  and  true,  both 
in  books  and  out  of  them,  prepared  him  for  a 
great  advance  when  he  came  to  the  throne.  The 
courtiers  and  nobles  of  the  kingdom  determined 
his  succession,  and  when  his  brother  passed  away 
his  yellow  robes  were  laid  aside  for  the  robes 
of  the  prince  and  he  was  borne  to  the  king’s 
quarters. 

When  his  coronation  was  over  and  he  was 
firmly  seated  in  power  he  ordered  an  invitation 
which  surprised  us  all.  Missionary  ladies  were 
invited  to  go  to  his  palace  and  teach  his  royal 
household  in  the  English  language.  We  con- 
sidered this  a providence  which  could  not  be 
passed  lightly,  although  we  could  not  expect 
these  ladies,  so  accustomed  to  easy  leisui’e,  to 


'I’lli:  LA’IE  FinST  KING  AND  QrF.KN. 


324 


SIAiM  AND  LAOS. 


make  much  progress  in  a language  so  difficult 
as  the  English. 

It  was  decided  that  Mrs.  Bradley  of  the  Amer- 
ican Missionary  Association,  Mrs.  Smith  of  the 
Baptist  mission,  and  Mrs.  Mattoon  of  the  Pres- 
byterian mission,  should  commence  this  unique 
work.  They  arranged  for  each  to  go  to  the  pal- 
ace two  days  in  the  week.  These  visits  were 
continued  for  about  three  years,  and  in  pleasant 
harmony  did  this  trio  of  ladies  pursue  their  work. 

The  palace  is  on  the  left  bank  of  the  beautiful 
river  Menam.  Near  the  bank  of  the  river  is  a 
large,  curiously-roofed  open  house.  From  our 
boats  we  ascend  a flight  of  steps  and  enter  it. 
I’assing  through  its  spacious  area,  we  go  into 
an  avenue  with  high,  thick  walls,  in  which  are 
heavy  gates.  At  the  end  of  this  avenue  we  come 
to  the  great  heavy  front  gate  of  the  palace.  In- 
side are  open  salas,  with  platforms  and  screens, 
where  the  gatekeeper  (an  elderly  woman)  and  a 
company  of  women  and  children  are  assembled 
every  day. 

Our  appointments  were  all  in  order.  A female 
officer,  Chow  Boon  Turn  Nnk  Mai,  had  been  or- 
dered by  the  king  to  prepare  for  our  I’eception. 
At  the  river-house  we  were  met  by  an  elderly 
servant,  who  received  our  basket  of  books  and 
whatever  we  had  to  carry,  and  led  us  through 
the  windings  of  the  way  to  our  appointed  place 
of  teaching  — through  the  river-house,  through 


MISSIONARIES  IN  THE  PALACE. 


325 


the  avenue  mentioned,  through  the  palace-gate, 
through  a wat-ground,  by  a market-jDlace,  and 
through  narrow  streets  to  our  teaching-hall. 
Here  were  assembled  the  king’s  young  wives 
and  the  princesses  of  the  blood.  Curiosity  and 
a desire  to  please  the  king  brought  them  to- 
gether, and  lessons  in  English  were  made  the 
order  of  the  hour.  The  waves  of  the  king  se- 
lected for  English  study  were  pretty,  bright 
young  girls,  worthy  of  a far  better  and  happier 
fate  than  they  could  possibly  find  in  the  harem 
of  any  king.  Some  of  the  princesses  were  fine, 
noble-looking  women,  who  comforted  themselves 
in  their  lonely  lives  by  reflecting  that  they  were 
not  obliged  to  share  a husband’s  love  with  scores 
of  others. 

As  w^as  expected,  these  royal  ladies  dropped 
away  from  the  English  class,  and  ere  long  none 
were  left  excepting  a few  young  wives  of  the  king 
who  were  ambitious  to  please  His  Majesty  and  to 
be  able  to  converse  with  him  in  English.  As  the 
ladies  left  the  English  class,  they  wished  us  to 
visit  them  in  their  homes;  which  we  did,  taking 
with  us  our  Christian  books  in  Siamese,  which 
some  of  them  were  fond  of  reading.  I remem- 
ber a servant  of  one  of  the  princesses  who  eager- 
ly read  our  books,  and  would  give  us  a full  ac- 
count of  what  she  had  read  in  one  book  before 
receiving  another. 

The  little  English  class  was  continued,  and 


326 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


books  and  maps  were  procured  for  its  persever- 
ing members.  They  made  commendable  prog- 
ress, though  often  interrupted  by  fetes  and  fes- 
tivals and  ])lay-days.  One  of  them  one  day 
asked  me  with  seriousness  what  could  be  done 
to  make  the  king  young.  On  the  spur  of  the 
moment  I replied,  “ Oli,  have  him  advance  in 
knowledge  and  goodness ; that  will  keep  him 
young.”  The  answer,  so  unpremeditated,  pleased 
the  young  wife.  I think  she  whispered  it  in  the 
ear  of  the  king,  to  his  great  satisfaction  and  de- 
light, for  he  had  a very  homely  as  well  as  old 
face. 

The  king  was  called  Chon  Chewitt  (“  lord  of 
life”),  and  woe  betide  the  one  who  would  dare 
to  cross  his  will ! One  day  I was  conversing 
with  these  young  wives,  when  one  of  them  whis- 
pered, “ Hush  ! hush  !”  I inquired  the  reason, 
and  she  significantly  pointed  toward  the  king’s 
quarters  and  drew  her  hand  across  her  neck,  as 
much  as  to  say,  “ To  converse  on  such  a subject 
might  displease  His  Majesty,  and  he  could  take 
off  our  heads.”  I was  credibly  informed  that  he 
ordered  one  of  his  wives  to  be  jmt  in  chains  and 
in  prison  for  forgetting  to  wear  a certain  ring 
which  he  had  ordered  to  be  worn  on  a certain 
day.  One  of  our  pupils,  a sweet-faced  young 
girl,  stole  the  king’s  spectacles,  and  sold  them — 
to  increase  her  spending-money,  I suppose.  I 
asked  to  be  led  to  her  quarters,  thinking  I might 


MISSTONAEIES  IN  THE  PALACE. 


327 


be  of  some  service  to  her.  I went,  and  upon  ar- 
riving at  the  place,  a sort  of  enclosed  court  with 
open  rooms,  I inquired  for  her,  and  her  pleasant 
face  peeped  out  from  behind  a screen,  where  she 
was  confined,  and  returned  my  salutations.  She 
seemed  totally  untroubled  by  her  situation;  its 
commonness  made  the  disgrace  unfelt,  I suppose. 
Presently  a female  officer  passed  and  turned  a 
stern  eye  upon  me,  and  I quietly  left,  seeing  that 
I could  be  of  no  service  there. 

The  king  we  seldom  saw.  There  was  to  be  a 
procession  on  the  river  one  day,  and  His  Majes- 
ty, with  the  ladies  of  the  court,  was  to  go  to  the 
river’s  edge  to  view  it.  The  ladies  invited  me  to 
accompany  them,  and  I did  so,  and  sat  with  them 
at  some  distance  from  the  king.  His  Majesty 
recognized  me  among  them,  and  called  me  to  him. 
I approached  him  as  I would  approach  the  Pres- 
ident of  the  United  States.  He  received  me  with 
politeness  and  pleasant  salutations,  and  handed 
me  the  glass  with  which  he  was  viewing  the  pro- 
cession. I received  it  from  his  hand,  and  with 
it  watched  for  a while  the  pageant  as  it  slowly 
moved  over  the  river.  I then  returned  the  glass, 
bade  His  Majesty  adieu  and  returned  to  my  seat 
among  the  princesses.  For  their  sakes  I was  glad 
of  this  little  episode,  for  in  those  days  Siamese 
etiquette  required  inferiors  to  prostrate  them- 
selves upon  hands  and  knees,  with  faces  to  the 
earth,  before  superiors.  In  this  position  their 


328 


67.1.1/  .liVX»  LAOS. 


salutation  was  to  place  their  liaiuls  together, 
touch  them  to  the  forehead  and  bow  to  the 
floor  or  earth.  In  this  painful  attitude  even 
the  princes  and  nobles  always  appeared  before 
His  Majesty,  and  the  custom  prevailed  through- 
out all  the  ranks.  The  elbows  and  knees  of  the 
king’s  courtiers  were  hard  and  callous,  as  they 
were  obliged  so  often  to  be  in  attendance  upon 
His  Majesty. 

One  day  I was  visiting  a very  friendly  prin- 
cess, a daughter  of  the  late  king.  She  was  de- 
lighted with  our  calls.  On  this  occasion  I found 
her  lame  and  sore.  It  was  at  the  time  when  the 
young  queen  was  sick  unto  death.  Under  such 
circumstances  the  king  deigns  to  be  present  in 
the  sick  chamber,  and  this  princess  was  one 
among  the  number  called  to  wait  upon  His 
INIajesty.  In  carrying  out  his  orders  they  were 
obliged  to  crawl  upon  their  hands  and  knees, 
and  her  knees  were  all  blistered  by  the  day’s 
waiting.  I could  not  refrain  from  saying, 
“ Why,  we  are  not  made  like  cats  and  dogs ! 
We  are  made  to  walk  upi’ight.”  This  remark 
pleased  her,  and  after  thinking  a few  moments 
she  said,  “ How  true  ! and  how  much  easier  and 
nicer  to  walk  upright !”  But,  thinking  a few 
moments  more,  she  said,  “ But,  ah,  it  cannot  be 
done  here.”  Sure  enough,  such  is  the  power  of 
custom  that  it  could  not  be  done  then  and  there, 
but  influences  were  at  work  which  would  gradu- 


MISSIONARIES  IN  THE  PALACE. 


329 


ally  undo  those  hard,  servile  customs.  AVhen 
those  jjrincesses  saw  me  walk  uj^right  in  the 
presence  of  the  king  they  would  naturally 
think,  “ Why  are  we  not  permitted  to  do  the 
same?”  and  thus  one  little  stej)  is  taken  to  re- 
move the  shackles. 

One  day,  as  our  attendant  was  leading  me  to 
our  teaching-hall,  we  were  near  meeting  a lady 
of  high  rank  with  her  long  train  of  servants. 
Now,  I did  not  require  my  attendant  to  crouch 
before  me,  and  she  would  naturally  infer  that 
with  her  I would  prostrate  myself  in  the  pres- 
ence of  this  lady  of  rank.  So,  touching  my  arm, 
she  warned  me  of  the  approach  of  the  royal  per- 
sonage, expecting  me  to  meet  her  as  an  inferior 
and  prostrate  myself  before  her.  “Oh,”  I said, 
“ I am  an  American ; our  customs  are  different 
from  yours.”  I had  met  this  lady  before,  and 
she  knew  me  and  met  me  with  a pleasant  saluta- 
tion, while  my  attendant  and  all  the  train  of 
maidens  were  down  to  the  earth  in  a moment. 
Now,  the  natural  thought  among  these  prostrate 
ones  would  be,  “ Here  is  a person  who  stands  on 
a footing  with  our  great  ones,  yet  she  does  not 
require  us  to  prostrate  ourselves  before  her.” 
Little  by  little  are  such  miserable  customs  worn 
away  by  persistent  Christian  effort. 

Our  visits  to  the  houses  of  the  different  ladies 
of  the  palace  became  more  and  more  extended. 
These  houses  were  not  the  clean,  sweet,  pleasant 


330 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


homes  of  an  intelligent  Christianity.  Only  a 
few  of  them  had  much  that  was  attractive  about 
them.  In  many  of  them  flowers  were  cultivated, 
and  they  wrought  in  fancy-work.  For  their 
gala-days  their  servants  would  bring  in  large 
quantities  of  flowers,  which  they  would  turn 
into  fanciful  forms  to  grace  the  festive  occa- 
sions. 

One  day  I was  seated  with  a princess  upon  an 
elevated  platform  in  her  court.  She  and  her 
maidens  were  at  work  with  artificial  flowers,  and 
a cup  of  pnste  and  vessels  with  the  parts  of  the 
flowers  and  leaves  were  scattered  here  and  there 
among  them.  All  at  once  a pet  monkey  which 
had  become  loose  marched  to  the  stage  and 
suddenly  appeared  among  us.  Undaunted,  he 
walked  about,  put  his  nose  into  the  cup  of  paste 
and  tipj)ed  it  over,  passed  his  paws  over  the  deli- 
cate parts  prepared  for  the  complete  flowers  and 
made  himself  master  of  the  situation.  I sat  in 
mute  consternation,  while  the  princess  and  her 
maidens  seemed  as  quiet  as  if  no  monkey  were 
there.  By  and  by  he  marched  around  to  a place 
where  a servant  could  secure  him,  and  she  made 
him  fast.  I asked  why  they  allowed  him  to 
march  around  their  work  and  commit  such  dep- 
redations. “Ah,”  said  one  of  them,  “if  we  had 
attempted  to  take  him  then,  he  would  have  bit- 
ten us  and  would  have  made  greater  havoc 
among  our  flowers;  better  to  wait  till  he  works 


MISSIONARIES  IN  THE  PALACE. 


331 


himself  into  a place  where  he  can  be  secured 
without  danger.” 

I have  kept  one  of  the  sisters  of  the  king  very 
pleasantly  in  memory.  Her  bearing  was  noble 
and  lady-like,  and  with  a fair  opportunity  she 
w'ould  have  graced  the  palace  of  any  king.  She 
read  our  Christian  books,  and  seemed  interested 
in  them.  One  day  we  had  a long  conversation 
upon  the  Christian  religion.  She  remarked  that 
my  religion  was  good  and  that  her  religion  was 
good,  and  she  spoke  of  the  deeds  of  merit  she 
had  done.  “Yes,”  I replied,  “wherein  they 
agree  they  are  both  alike  good,  but  in  some 
things  they  do  not  at  all  agree.  In  the  Chris- 
tian religion  we  believe  in  one  God,  the  great 
Jehovah,  who  created  all  things  and  who  is  from 
everlasting  to  everlasting.  In  the  Buddhist  re- 
ligion you  have  made  a human  philosopher  a 
god.  The  great  Jehovah  has  forbidden  the  wor- 
ship of  idols,  but  your  country  is  full  of  them, 
and  the  name  of  the  true  God  is  taken  in  vain. 
The  great  Jehovah  has  commanded  us  to  set 
apart  one  day  in  seven  for  his  worship,  but  in 
your  religion  this  is  not  observed.  We  believe 
in  the  great  eternal  One  described  in  our  Bible, 
who  made  these  beautiful  flowers  and  made  our 
wonderful  bodies  with  their  spirit-life — who  cre- 
ated the  heavens  above  us  and  the  earth  beneath 
us  and  all  things.  This  great  eternal  One  has 
given  his  Son  to  be  a Redeemer  to  all  who  will 


332 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


come  to  him  and  repent  of  sin.  These  things 
make  the  Christian  religion  different  from 
yours.”  The  dear  lady  thoughtfully  replied, 
“ These  things  I must  look  into ; I have  not 
thought  of  them  before.”  I sincerely  hope  she 
did  look  into  them,  and  was  brought  to  reverence 
and  adore  the  great  Jehovah  through  the  merits 
of  Jesus  Christ. 

A^’’e  did  not  rudely  intrude  the  tenets  of  our 
religion  upon  them,  but  always  answered  kind 
inquiries  and  freely  gave  our  opinions.  In  this 
way  they  would  frequently  be  led  to  acknowledge 
the  superiority  of  our  customs  over  theirs.  In 
the  matter  of  polygamy  many  high  in  station 
in  their  quiet  moments,  in  private  conversation, 
Avould  acknowledge  it  to  be  a very  bad  thing, 
and  the  king  seemed  happy  in  saying  that  he 
had  fewer  wives  than  any  of  his  predecessors. 
When  Christianity  reigns  in  full  power  this 
giant  evil  will  be  for  ever  banished  from  our 
world.  By  persistent  Christian  effort,  with  law 
on  its  side,  may  we  not  hope  that  it  will  be 
speedily  driven  from  our  own  dear  country  for 
ever? 

After  three  years,  during  which  time  our  visits 
to  the  palace  were  kept  up  quite  regularly,  they 
came  to  a close.  One  day  Mrs.  Smith  started  for 
her  day  at  the  palace.  Our  attendant  was  not  at 
the  river-house  to  meet  her ; but  at  other  times 
she  had  not  been  there,  and  we  found  our  own 


MISSIOXARIES  IN  THE  PALACE. 


333 


way  in  the  palace-grounds ; so  Mrs.  Smith  pro- 
ceeded to  the  palace-gate.  But  the  gatekeeper 
was  not  to  be  seen,  nor  any  of  her  coinjiany,  and 
Mrs.  Smith  left.  M"e  all  felt  that  this  probably 
meant  that  our  teaching  in  the  palace  must  cease. 
But  as  it  seemed  possible  that  the  gate-women 
might  be  aAvay  attending  some  festival  for  the 
time,  I went  the  next  day,  to  make  sure.  There 
was  no  attendant  at  the  river-house,  and  as  I 
passed  up  the  avenue  for  the  palace-gate  a Siam- 
ese Avoman  stepped  iuto  the  avenue  from  a side 
gate  just  before  me.  The  moment  she  saw  me 
she  darted  back,  plainly  shoAving  that  an  order 
had  been  given,  and  that  it  Avas  understood.  I 
proceeded  to  the  gate  where  Ave  had  so  often 
passed  in  and  out.  As  I drew  near  there  Avas 
a rustle  and  a rush  to  hide  from  my  presence. 
I called  out  pleasantly  in  Siamese,  asking  if  they 
Avould  not  open  the  gate  for  me,  but  no  ansAver 
came  excepting  the  suppressed  laughter  of  some 
young  girls  hiding  behind  the  screens.  AVe 
quietly  accepted  the  evident  intention  of  the 
king,  and  our  teaching  in  the  palace  ceased. 

It  was  thought  that  some  of  the  ladies  Avere 
becoming  interested  in  Christianity,  but  of  this 
Ave  could  not  be  sure.  Some  years  after  this 
time  His  Majesty  advertised  for  an  English 
teacher  for  his  children,  Avith  the  strict  proviso 
that  the  Christian  religion  should  have  no  place 
in  the  teaching.  To  break  from  settled  customs 


334 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


miglit  cost  him  his  throne.  Worldly  policy ! 
How  many  with  high  Christian  intelligence  it 
has  kept  from  the  right  and  true ! Need  we 
wonder  at  this  heathen  king?  With  great  in- 
firmities he  had  some  noble  traits.  He  owed 
more  to  the  Christian  religion  than  he  would 
be  willing  to  allow.  When  Mr.  Mattoon  was 
about  leaving  Siam  he  went  to  the  palace  to 
bid  the  king  adieu.  In  the  interview  His 
Majesty  acknowledged  his  belief  in  the  true 
God  — the  “Supreme  Agency,”  as  he  termed 
it.  He  has  passed  away  since  then,  and  his 
son  is  now  on  the  throne.  Many  happy 
changes  have  been  wrought  out,  and  we  con- 
stantly pray  that  the  great  and  best  change 
may  come — that  every  idol  may  be  cast  away 
and  loyalty  to  the  great  Jehovah  may  be  writ- 
ten upon  every  heart  in  Siam. 

TEACHING  IN  THE  PALACE  OF  THE  KING  OF 
SIAM  IN  1880. 

The  following  letter  from  Maa  Tuan,  matron 
of  the  girls’  boarding-school  at  Bangkok,  was 
partially  translated  from  the  Siamese  and  par- 
tially dictated  to  one  of  the  missionary  ladies. 
She  is  a most  efficient,  earnest  Christian  worker, 
a “ living  witness”  among  these  people.  She  has 
been  a Christian  for  years,  her  father  being  liter- 
ally the  “ first-fruits”  of  Presbyterian  effort  in 
Siam. 


MISSIONARIES  IN  THE  PALACE. 


335 


Maa  Tuan’s  Letter. 

A nobleman,  the  brother  of  Koon  Lin,  a 
former  pupil  in  the  school,  who  is  now,  with  her 
sister  Juan,  in  the  royal  palace — the  latter  being 
a wife  of  His  Majesty  the  king — asked  me  to 
come  to  the  palace  and  teach  his  sisters  during 
the  two  months  of  vacation. 

I lived  in  the  royal  harem  for  one  month, 
and  I think  it  will  interest  your  friends  to  have 
me  tell  you  some  of  the  things  I saw  while  there. 
It  is  said  that  within  the  palace-walls  there  are 
about  one  thousand  women,  wives,  slaves  and 
servants,  as  no  man  is  permitted  to  live  there 
except  His  Majesty  the  king.  I should  judge 
that  about  thirty  of  these  women  are  wives  of 
the  king.  Many  of  these  wives,  with  their  serv- 
ants, live  in  a long  brick  building  which  stands 
near  the  palace.  Eight  of  the  king’s  half-sisters 
and  the  only  daughter  of  the  regent  of  the  Belur 
are  the  highest  in  position,  and  their  rooms  in  the 
harem  are  more  richly  and  beautifully  furnished 
than  those  of  the  other  wives.  The  rooms  of 
the  king’s  favorite,  Peahong  Sawang  (one  of  his 
half-sisters),  are  three  in  number.  The  first  is 
trimmed  with  pink  silk,  another  blue  and  the 
third  green.  Even  the  windows  and  door  are 
colored,  and  all  is  very  beautiful  to  the  eye. 

Peahong  Sawang  is  the  mother  of  the  oldest 
son  of  His  Majesty,  who  is  now  about  two  years 


3;36 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


of  age.  To  be  the  mother  of  a royal  sou  is  <][uite 
an  honor  in  the  harem,  and  it  is  only  male  off- 
spring of  the  king,  by  one  of  his  sisters,  that  can 
inherit  the  throne. 

I lived  in  the  harem  with  the  women, 
and  saw  and  talked  with  them  all  very  often. 
They  were  quite  friendly,  though  they  knew 
that  I had  given  up  their  religion,  and  would 
not  bow  to  the  image  of  Buddha,  which  they 
worshiped  every  night,  offering  flowers  and 
burning  of  fragrant  wood.  These  women  sit  in 
idleness  all  the  day  long,  unless  sent  for  to  go  to 
the  palace.  They  often  tried  to  persuade  me  to 
return  to  Buddhism,  giving  me  one  of  their 
books  to  read  instead  of  my  Bible,  which  I had 
with  me,  and  making  sport  of  me,  saying,  ‘Ah, 
you  were  once  in  the  light,  but  now  you  are 
walking  in  the  darkness.’  But  my  heart  did 
not  mind  what  they  said ; I told  them  of  the 
religion  of  Jesus,  and,  going  by  myself,  I prayed 
to  Jesus  to  help  them.  My  business  there  was 
to  teach  Koon  Lin  and  Koon  Juan  to  translate 
Siamese  into  English.  Both  these  girls  were 
pupils  of  Mrs.  Dr.  House,  and  speak  very  lov- 
ingly of  her.  Koon  Lin  still  has  the  English 
Bible  Mrs.  House  gave  her,  and  translated  from 
it  every  day.  She  said  that  when  she  was  in 
school  she  believed  its  teachings,  but  now  she 
was  indifferent,  it  was  all  so  different  in  the 
jialace. 


3IISSI0XARIES  IN  THE  PALACE. 


337 


The  police  who  have  charge  of  the  royal  ha- 
rem are  women,  and  night  and  day  close  watch 
is  kept  that  no  one  goes  out  or  comes  in  without 
their  permission.  Any  one  not  known  to  the 
guards  is  searched  at  the  door  of  entrance. 
Every  afternoon  at  four  o’clock  the  gates  of 
the  palace  are  locked.  On  my  way  to  the 
market  near  I could  often  see  the  king  as  he 
walked  in  his  royal  palace,  which  is  higher  than 
Other  buildings.  In  the  courtyard  below  the 
native  children  played  noisily,  which  the  king 
did  not  seem  to  mind.  This  is  very  different 
from  the  old  king,  before  whom  all  must  bow 
or  fall  on  their  faces. 

22 


s 


CHAPTER  XX. 


CORONATION  OF  HIS  MAJESTY  THE  SUPREME 
KING  OF  SIAM. 


The  Siamese  monarchy  is  not  hereditary — 
that  is,  not  in  the  sense  that  that  term  is 


understood  in  Europe.  There  is  what  is  called 
the  Senabodee,  or  royal  counselors,  consisting  of 
the  chief  ministers  of  state,  who  during  the  life 
of  the  king  are  merely  silent  counselors,  but 
upon  his  death  their  power  becomes  manifest, 
and  upon  them  devolves  the  responsibility  of 
selecting  a successor  and  governing  the  kingdom 
until  such  successor  is  chosen.  The  successor 
must  be  a prince  of  the  realm,  but  not  necessa- 
rily the  eldest  son  of  the  late  king ; indeed,  not 
necessarily  a son  of  his  at  all. 

The  death  of  the  late  king  occurred  about 
nine  o’clock  p.  m.  The  prime  minister  was  im- 
mediately summoned  to  the  palace,  and  convened 
the  Senabodee,  and  before  midnight  the  succession 
was  determined  and  everything  going  on  smooth- 
ly. They  chose  in  this  instance  the  eldest  son  of 
the  late  king,  Somdetch  Chowfa  Chulalangkorn, 
a boy  about  sixteen  years  old. 


338 


CORONATION  OF  THE  KING  OF  SIAM.  339 


His  coronation  took  place  on  W ednesday,  No- 
vember 11,  1868,  being  the  day  decided  upon  by 
the  Brahman  astrologers  as  the  one  most  propi- 
tious. At  this  coronation  there  was  a slight  in- 
novation upon  the  usual  Siamese  custom.  No 


SOMDETCH  CHOWFA  CHULALANGKORN. 


European  harl  ever  before  witnessed  the  corona- 
tion ceremonies  of  any  king  of  Siam.  The  late 
king,  after  his  coronation,  wrote  a private  note 
to  some  of  his  European  friends  stating  that  he 
would  have  been  glad  to  have  had  them  present, 
but  “state  reasons  forbade  the  presence  of  for- 
eigners.” 

The  number  of  Europeans  present  at  the  cor- 
onation proper  of  the  present  king  were  few. 


340 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


consisting  of  tlie  consuls  of  the  different  treaty 
powers  with  their  suites,  the  officers  of  H,  B.  M.’s 
gunboat  Avon  and  a few  others.  The  writer 
lield  at  the  time  the  seals  of  the  United  States 
consulate,  and  was  the  only  representative  of  our 
government  in  the  kingdom,  and  consequently 
received  an  invitation,  which  might  not  have 
been  accorded  to  him  as  a mere  missionary. 
The  company  of  Siamese  present  was  equally 
small,  consisting  only  of  the  chief  princes  and 
nobles  of  the  kingdom.  The  hour  named  was 
six  A.  M.,  hut  owing  to  some  delay  it  was  nearly 
eight  when  we  passed  into  a small  triangular 
court  facing  one  of  the  doors  of  the  inner  audi- 
ence-hall. In  front  of  the  door  of  the  hall  stood 
an  elevated  platform  richly  gilded,  and  upon 
that  platform  was  placed  a very  large  golden 
basin.  AVithin  that  basin  was  a golden  tripod 
or  three-legged  stool.  Over  the  platform  was  a 
quadrangular  canopy,  and  over  the  canopy  was 
the  nine-storied  umbrella,  tapering  in  the  form 
of  a pagoda.  Over  the  centre  of  the  canoj)y  was 
a vessel  containing  consecrated  water,  said  to 
have  been  prayed  over  nine  times  and  poured 
through  nine  different  circular  vessels  before 
reaching  the  top  of  the  canopy.  This  water  is 
collected  from  the  chief  rivers  of  Siam  and  at  a 
point  above  tidal  influence,  and  is  constantly 
kept  on  hand  in  reservoirs  near  the  temples  in 
the  capital.  In  the  vessel  was  placed  a tube  or 


HALL  OF  AUDIENCK,  PALACE  OF  HANGKOK. 


342 


6734/  AND  LAOS. 


siphon,  representing  the  pericarp  of  the  lotus- 
flower  after  the  petals  have  fallen  off. 

At  a flourish  of  crooked  trumpets  resembling 
rams’  horns  the  king  elect  descended  from  the 
steps  of  the  hall,  arrayed  in  a simple  waist-cloth 
of  white  muslin,  Avith  a piece  of  the  same  mate- 
rial thrown  over  his  shoulders,  and  took  his  seat 
upon  the  tripod  in  the  basin.  A Brahman  priest 
approached  him  and  offered  him  some  Avater  in  a 
golden  lotus-shaped  cup,  into  Avhich  he  dipped 
his  hand  and  rubbed  it  over  his  head.  This  was 
the  signal  for  the  pulling  of  a rope  and  letting 
loose  the  sacred  Avater  above  in  the  form  of  a 
shoAver-bath  upon  his  person.  This  shoAver- 
bath  re])resents  the  Tewadas,  or  Buddhist  an- 
gels, sending  blessings  upon  His  Majesty.  A 
Buddhist  priest  then  approached  and  poured  a 
goblet  of  Avater  over  his  person.  Next  came  the 
Brahman  priests  and  did  the  same.  Next  came 
the  chief  princes,  uncles  of  the  king ; next  tAvo 
aged  princesses,  his  aunts.  The  vessels  used  by 
these  princes  and  princesses  Avere  conch-shells 
tipped  Avith  gold.  Then  came  the  chief  nobles, 
each  Avith  a vessel  of  different  material,  such  as 
gold,  silver,  pinchbeck,  eartheiiAvare ; then,  last 
of  all,  the  prime  minister  Avith  a A^essel  of  iron. 
This  finished  the  royal  bath. 

He  then  descended  from  the  stool  in  a shiver- 
ing state,  and  Avas  diAmsted  of  his  Avet  clothes  and 
arrayed  in  regal  robes  of  golden  cloth  studded 


CORONATION  OF  THE  KING  OF  SIAM.  343 


with  diamonds.  In  the  south  end  of  the  audi- 
ence-hall Avas  an  octagonal  throne,  having  sides 
corresponding  to  the  eight  points  of  the  compass. 
He  first  seated  himself  on  the  side  facing  north, 
passing  around  toward  the  east.  In  front  of 
each  side  of  the  throne  Avas  crouched  a Buddhist 
and  a Brahman  priest,  Avho  presented  him  Avitli 
a boAvl  of  water,  of  Avhich  he  drank  and  rubbed 
some  on  his  face.  At  each  side  they  repeated  to 
him  a prayer,  to  Avhich  he  responded.  I was  too 
far  off  to  hear  all,  but  the  folloAving  is  said  to  be 
a translation  of  it : 

Priest.  “ Be  thou  learned  in  the  laAvs  of  na- 
ture and  of  the  uniA'erse.” 

King.  “ Inspire  me,  O Thou  Avho  Avert  a laAV 
unto  thyself!” 

Priest.  “ Be  thou  eiidoAved  with  all  Avisdom 
and  all  acts  of  industry.” 

King.  “ Inspire  me  Avith  all  knoAvledge,  O 
Thou  the  enlightened  1” 

Priest.  “ Let  mercy  and  truth  be  thy  right 
and  left  arms  of  life.” 

King.  “Inspire  me,  O Thou  Avho  hast  proved 
all  truth  and  mercy !” 

Priest.  “ Let  the  sun,  moon  and  stars  bless 
thee.” 

King.  “All  praise  to  Thee,  through  whom  all 
forms  are  conquered !” 

Priest.  “ Let  the  earth,  air  and  Avater  bless 
thee.” 


344 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


Khuj.  “ Through  the  merit  of  thee,  O Thou 
conqueror  of  death !” 

He  was  then  conducted  to  tlie  north  end  of  the 
hall,  and  was  seated  upon  another  throne.  The 
insignia  of  royalty  were  then  presented  to  him. 
They  were  handed  to  him  by  his  uncle.  Prince 
Chowfa  Malaa  Mala.  First  came  the  sword,  then 
the  sceptre,  then  two  imissive  gold  chains  in  a 
casket,  which  he  suspended  around  his  shoulders. 
Then  came  the  crown,  which  he  put  on  his  own 
head,  and  at  that  instant  the  royal  salute  pro- 
claimed him  king  under  the  title  of  Prabat  Soni- 
detch  Pra  Paramendr  Maha  Chulalang  Korn 
Kate  Klou  Yu  Hua.  Then  came  the  golden 
slippers,  the  fan,  the  umhrella,  two  large  massive 
rings  set  with  huge  diamonds,  which  he  placed 
on  each  of  his  forefingers.  Then  one  of  each 
of  the  Siamese  weapons  of  war  were  handed  to 
him,  which  he  received  and  handed  back. 

The  Prahmans  then  wound  up  with  a short 
address,  to  which  he  briefly  responded.  He  then 
distributed  a few  gold  and  silver  flowers  among 
his  friends,  and  the  Europeans  then  withdrew  to 
breakfast,  which  had  been  prepared  for  them. 

It  may  be  asked  why  the  Brahmans  officiate 
so  much  when  Siam  is  emphatically  a Buddhist 
country.  1 have  asked  several  well-informed 
noblemen  for  the  reason,  but  have  as  yet  been 
unable  to  ascertain.  No  one  ajipears  able  to 
give  any  true  reason.  There  are  a number  of 


BRAHMAN  AT  WORSHIP. 


346 


SIAM  AXD  LAOS. 


Brahmans  in  the  country,  but  tlieir  existence  is 
scarcely  ever  noticed  except  on  some  such  occa- 
sion as  the  above. 

At  eleven  o’clock  a.  m.  the  new  king  appeared 
for  the  first  time  before  his  whole  court.  The 
outer  audience-hall  was  richly  decorated  and 
spread  with  rich  Brussels  carpet.  When  the 
foreign  consuls  entered  in  a body  the  whole 
Siamese  court  was  prostrate  on  their  knees  and 
elbows  on  the  carpet.  Very  soon  the  king  en- 
tered, arrayed  in  regal  robes  and  wearing  his 
crown,  and  seated  himself  upon  the  throne.  The 
whole  court  simultaneously  placed  the  palms  of 
their  hands  together  and  then  raised  them  up  to 
the  forehead,  bowing  their  heads  three  times  to 
the  floor.  The  chief  ministers  of  state  then  for- 
mally delivered  over  their  several  departments  to 
the  new  monarch,  to  whom  he  briefly  responded. 
Senhor  Vianna,  consul-general  for  Portugal — his 
being  the  oldest  consulate — then,  on  behalf  of  the 
consuls  present,  read  a short  congratulatory  ad- 
dress, which  called  forth  another  brief  response, 
and  the  audience  retired. 

The  king  has  generally  one  whom  he  consti- 
tutes his  queen-consort.  A young  princess  of 
the  highest  rank  that  can  be  found  in  the  king- 
dom is  selected.  She  is  not,  however,  certain  of 
promotion  until  after  she  has  lived  with  the 
king  for  a time  and  has  succeeded  in  gaining 
a large  place  in  the  royal  affections.  When  this 


THE  SIAMESE  OATH  OF  ALLEGIANCE. 


347 


is  sufficiently  accomplished  the  king  appoints  a 
day  for  her  exaltation.  Three  days  are  usually 
devoted  to  the  purpose ; the  chief  officers  of  the 
palace  and  the  chief  princes  and  nobles  of  the 
kingdom  are  present. 

The  principal  ceremonies  devolve  upon  the 
priests,  of  whom  there  are  quite  a number  pres- 
ent, both  Buddhist  and  Brahman.  The  princess 
is  copiously  bathed  in  pure  water,  in  which  the 
leaves  of  a certain  kind  of  tree  supposed  to  pos- 
sess purifying  and  healthful  influences  are  put. 
Most  of  the  time  is  spent  in  feasting,  but  on  the 
third  day  she  is  placed  on  a small  throne  under 
a white  canopy,  where  she  is  bathed  with  holy 
water,  the  priests  reciting  prayers  the  while.  She 
is  then  conducted  to  a place  where  her  wet  clothes 
are  laid  aside,  and  she  is  arrayed  in  queenly  cos- 
tume, jewels  and  diamonds,  and  then  displays 
herself  to  those  in  attendance. 

Instances  have  occurred  where  the  king  had 
two  queen-consorts.  In  such  cases  the  one  is 
called  “the  queen  of  the  right  hand”  and  the 
other  “the  queen  of  the  left  hand.”  It  has  only 
happened  about  twice  in  Siamese  history  that 
the  king  has  taken  a foreign  princess  for  his 
queen-consort. 

THE  SIAMESE  OATH  OF  ALLEGIANCE. 

On  the  21st  of  March,  1882,  all  the  Siamese 
officials  in  the  province  met  upon  the  top  of  the 


348 


SUM  AXD  LAOS. 


mountain  nearest  to  the  town  of  Petchaburee  and 
drank  the  water  of  allegiance,  pledging  their  loy- 
alty to  their  sovereign.  They  met  in  the  audi- 
ence-hall belonging  to  the  king’s  country  palace, 
which  crowns  the  summit  of  this  picturesque 
eminence.  Upon  the  throne  erected  for  the 
king  an  image  of  Lord  Buddha  was  temporarily 
placed.  Before  the  idol  were  burned  incense- 
sticks  and  sacred  candles  made  of  yellow  wax. 
Below  the  idol  was  a large  brasen  basin  contain- 
ing the  water  of  allegiance.  Across  this  basin 
were  placed  a sword,  gun,  spear  and  other  war- 
like weapons ; a cord  was  tied  to  the  idol,  and, 
passing  around  the  basin  of  Avater,  passed 
through  the  hands  of  a line  of  yellow-robed 
priests,  whose  vain  repetitions  in  the  Pali  lan- 
guage were  supposed  to  pass  along  the  string  to 
their  gilded  god.  Before  each  priest  was  placed 
two  large  salvers  containing  a great  variety  of 
tempting-looking  eatables,  upon  which,  as  soon 
as  they  had  finished  their  prayers,  they  fell  to 
work  in  good  earnest.  The  repast  finished,  they 
brushed  their  teeth  with  the  ends  of  soft  sticks, 
lit  their  cigarettes  and  puffed  away  complacently 
while  the  oath  was  being  administered. 

The  oath  of  allegiance  is  a long,  horrible  affair, 
which  should  they  fail  to  keep,  they  said,  “ We 
beseech  the  power  of  the  deities  to  plague  with 
poisonous  boils  rapidly  fatal  and  all  manner  of 
diseases  the  dishonorable,  perverse  and  treach- 


THE  SIAMESE  OATH  OF  ALLEGIANCE.  349 


erous  with  untimely,  wretched  and  appalling 
deaths,  manifest  to  the  eyes  of  the  world;  when 
we  shall  have  departed  this  life  from  earth  cause 
us  to  be  sent  and  all  to  be  born  in  the  great  hell, 
where  we  shall  burn  with  quenchless  fire  for  tens 
and  hundreds  of  thousands  of  ages  and  limitless 
transmigrations ; and  when  we  have  expiated  our 
penalty  there,  and  are  again  born  into  any  world, 
we  pray  we  may  fail  to  find  the  least  happiness 
ill  worlds  of  pleasurable  enjoyments ; let  us  not 
meet  the  god  Buddha,  the  sacred  teachings, 
the  sacred  priests  that  come  to  be  gracious 
to  animals,  helping  them  escaj^e  misery,  reach 
heaven  and  attain  a succession  of  births  and 
deaths ; should  we  meet  them,  let  them  grant  us 
no  gracious  assistance.”  This  is  not  all,  but  it 
is  enough  to  show  the  fearfulness  of  the  oath, 
to  which  the  officials  listened  Avith  apparent 
indifference. 

The  governor  of  the  province,  sitting  upon  his 
mat,  with  his  vessels  and  ornaments  of  gold 
spread  out  before  him,  seemed  the  most  indiffer- 
ent of  them  all,  and  spent  the  greater  portion  of 
the  time  occupied  by  reading  the  oath  in  picking 
fleas  from  his  favorite  dog  and  in  cracking  them 
over  his  thumb.  After  the  reading  of  the  oath 
the  various  Aveapous  AA’ere  dipped  into  the  Avater, 
which  exercise  was  accompanied  by  the  chanting 
of  the  priests  and  the  bloAving  of  conch-shells, 
after  Avdiich  all  in  authority  drank  of  the  Avater 


350 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


and  sprinkled  it  upon  their  lieads,  bowing  to- 
ward tlie  idol  and  toward  Bangkok,  where  the 
king  resides.  This  ended  the  ceremony,  and  all 
departed  to  their  homes. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  MISSIONS  IN  SIAM  AND  LAOS. 

The  American  trading-vessel,  commanded  by 
Captain  Coffin,  which  in  1829  brought  to 
this  country  the  famous  “Siamese  Twins,” 
brought  also  an  earnest  appeal  for  aid  in  evan- 
gelizing that  then  almost  unknown  land  of  their 
birth. 

The  appeal  came  from  the  zealous  German 
missionary  Gutzlaff  and  his  associate,  the  E,ev. 
Mr.  Tomlin,  of  the  London  Missionary  Society, 
who  six  months  before  had  made  their  way  to 
Siam,  where  they  found  not  only  an  open  door, 
but  a large  and  most  inviting  field,  for  mission- 
ary labor.  Their  own  societies  not  encouraging 
their  permanent  occupation  of  this  advanced  post 
in  heathendom,  both  these  brethren  urged  the 
American  churches  to  enter  in  and  possess  the 
land  for  Christ.  In  response  to  the  appeal  of 
Gutzlaff,  which  was  specially  addressed  to  them, 
the  American  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  in- 
structed the  Bev.  David  Abeel,  then  in  China, 
to  visit  Siam  with  a view  to  its  occupancy  if  he 
deemed  it  advisable. 


351 


352 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


Dr.  Abeel  readied  Singapore  just  as  Mr. 
Tomlin  was  on  the  eve  of  embarking  on  a 
second  visit  to  Bangkok,  and  arrived  with  him 
in  Siam  on  June  30,  1831,  a few  days  after  Mr. 
Giitzlaff,  disheartened  by  the  death  of  his  de- 
voted wife,  liad  sailed  away  in  a native  junk  for 
Tientsin  on  the  first  of  his  memorable  voyages 
of  missionary  exploration  up  the  coast  of  China. 
He  had  been  in  Siam  nearly  three  years  in  all, 
and  had  baptized  one  Chinese  convert,  whose 
name  was  Boontai. 

The  new-comers  found  the  people  eager  for  the 
books  and  medicines  they  had  brought,  and  they 
labored  faithfully  for  the  good  of  the  many 
Siamese  and  Chinese  of  high  and  low  degree 
who  came  to  visit  them.  In  six  months,  how- 
ever, Mr.  Tomlin  was  called  away,  and  Dr. 
Abeel  also  was  obliged  to  leave  Siam  on  a trij) 
to  Singapore  to  recruit  his  impaired  health.  Be- 
turning  to  Siam,  he  labored  on  till  November  5, 
1832,  when  continued  ill-health  drove  him  finallv 
from  the  field. 

Just  two  months  before  this  the  Bev.  John 
Taylor  Jones,  who  had  been  appointed  a mis- 
sionary to  Siam  by  his  American  Baptist  mis- 
sionary associates  in  Burmah,  to  whom  also 
Messrs.  Gutzlaff  and  Tomlin  had  written,  left 
Maulmain,  where  he  had  been  stationed,  for 
Singapore,  on  his  way  with  his  family  to  his 
new  field.  Delayed  at  that  port,  he  did  not 


HISTORY  OF  THE  MISSIOXS. 


353 


arrive  in  Siam  till  March  25,  1833.^  Mr.  Jones 
had  been  designated  specially  to  the  Siamese,  but 
took  supervision  at  once  of  the  little  company  of 
Chinese  worshipers  Dr.  Abeel  and  others  had 
gathered,  and  in  December  baptized  three  of 
them.  His  Board  at  home  approved  the  step 
Mr.  Jones  had  Uikeii,  and  determined  to  sus- 
tain the  new  mission,  which  thus  proved  to  be 
the  first  permanently  established  in  Siam. 

The  next  to  arrive  in  the  field  were  two  mis- 
sionaries of  the  American  Board,  Messrs.  John- 
son and  Bobinson,  who,  with  their  wives,  had 
embarked  at  Boston  June  11,  1833,  but,  de- 
tained nine  weary  months  in  Singapore  for  a 
vessel  to  Siam,  did  not  reach  Bangkok  till  July 
25,  1834,  having  been  more  than  a year  on  their 
way.  Mr.  Johnson  entered  at  once  upon  active 
labors  for  the  Chinese,  and  Mr.  Bobinson  for  the 
Siamese,  part  of  the  population. 

During  the  summer  of  1834  the  Bev.  William 
Dean  and  his  wife,  who  had  been  aj^poiuted  by 
the  American  Baptist  Board  missionaries  to  the 
Chinese  of  Siam — their  first  missionaries,  in  fact, 
to  any  speaking  the  Chinese  language — and  Dan- 
* iel  B.  Bradley,  M.  D.,  and  wife,  whom  the  Ameri- 
can  Board  sent  out  to  reinforce  their  mission  to  the 
Siamese,  sailed  from  Boston  for  Singapore.  While 
delayed  at  Singapore,  Mrs.  Dean  was  removed  by 
death,  and  it  was  not  till  July  18,  twelve  months 
after  leaving  Boston,  that  Drs.  Dean  and  Brad- 
23 


354 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


ley,  with  Mrs.  Bradley,  reached  their  destined 
field. 

Dr.  Bradley  soon  opened  a medical  dispensary, 
and  entered  with  zeal,  faith  and  energy,  which 
neither  illness  nor  tropical  heat  nor  any  discour- 
agement could  abate,  upon  a course  of  medical 
and  preaching,  printing,  writing  and  translating 
labors  for  the  good  of  the  Siamese,  which  ceased 
not  till  he  resigned  his  breath  in  June,  1873 — thir- 
ty-eight years  after.  Dr.  Dean  devoted  himself 
to  the  instruction  of  the  Chinese  that  thronged 
the  city  — a labor  of  Christian  love  which  this 
venerable  first  apostle  of  the  Bajitist  Church  to 
the  Chinese  is  still  (1884)  prosecuting  in  that 
same  heathen  city.  In  December,  1835,  he 
baptized  three  new  converts. 

Both  missions  were  now  in  efficient  working 
order,  with  each  its  Chinese  department  as  well 
as  its  Siamese,  the  Baptist  mission  laboring 
among  the  Chinese  that  spoke  the  Tachew  dia- 
lect, who  were  emigrants  from  the  Swatow  dis- 
trict of  the  Canton  province,  while  the  A.  B.  C. 
F.  M.’s  mission  looked  after  those  that  spoke  the 
Hokien  or  Amoy  dialect — different  from  that 
used  by  the  Swatow  people,  and  hardly  intelli- 
gible to  them. 

The  medical  services  of  the  missionaries  and 
their  medicines,  and  the  Christian  tracts  and 
books  they  distributed  without  money  and  with- 
out price,  were  eagerly  sought,  and  there  was  free 


HISTORY  OF  THE  MISSIONS. 


365 


access  to  the  people  in  tlieii’  streets,  homes,  and 
temples  even,  for  making  known  the  new  re- 
ligion ; but  none  seemed  savingly  impressed — 
none  of  the  Siamese.  Indeed,  while  the  pro- 
tracted reign  of  the  bigoted  and  imperious  king 
who  was  on  the  throne  when  missions  were  es- 
tablished in  Siam  continued,  it  would  seem  no 
native  could  be  brought  even  to  entertain  the 
question  of  forsaking  the  religion  of  the  land, 
such  was  the  dread  of  the  king’s  wrath  and  of 
the  stripes,  imprisonment,  torture,  death  itself 
perhaps,  that  might  be  the  fate  of  a convert. 

The  Chinese  settlers  in  Siam  were  allowed 
more  freedom  of  conscience ; the  displeasure  of 
their  kinsmen  was  all  they  would  have  to  fear 
from  change  of  religion.  So  Dr.  Dean  had  the 
happiness  of  seeing  the  number  of  Chinese  be- 
lievers increase,  till  in  1837  a church  was  or- 
ganized— the  first  church  of  Protestant  Chinese 
Christians  that  was  ever  gathered  in  the  East. 
To  this,  by  1848,  sixty  names  had  been  added  at 
different  times.  Mr.  Johnson  too,  of  the  Amer- 
ican Board’s  mission,  had  the  pleasure  of  baptiz- 
ing his  Chinese  teacher  in  1838,  and  in  1844  an- 
other of  his  teachers.  Quaking,  a Chinese  of  very 
respectable  literary  attainments. 

Meanwhile,  all  labored  on  in  hope.  Rein- 
forcements were  sent  from  time  to  time  to  each 
mission.  To  the  Baptist  came,  July,  1836,  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Davenport  and  wife  and  Mr.  and  Mrs. 


356 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


Ileid — ]\Ir.  Reid,  alas ! to  die  of  dysentery  in  a 
little  over  a year.  With  these  brethren  came  a 
jirinting-press.  A printing-press  was  sent  out 
to  the  American  mission  also  the  next  year,  so 
that  both  were  now  fully  equipped  for  a most 
important  branch  of  mission-work  among  this 
nation  of  readers.  Before  the  year  (1836)  came 
to  a close  the  first  tract  was  printed,  containing 
an  account  of  the  giving  of  the  Law,  a summary 
of  the  Ten  Commandments,  a short  prayer  and 
a few  hymns.  This  is  supposed  to  be  the  first 
printing  ever  executed  in  Siam.  They  had  also 
secured  more  comfortable  quarters  on  the  w^est 
bank  of  the  river,  in  the  heart  of  the  city,  in 
houses  built  for  them  and  leased  to  them  by  the 
Praklang,  the  minister  of  foreign  affairs. 

In  March,  1838,  IMrs.  Eliza  G.  Jones  died  of 
cholera.  She  was  a lady  of  many  gifts  and 
graces.  A little  tract  from  her  pen.  The  Bur- 
mese Village,  is  one  of  the  most  vivid  and  touch- 
ing pictures  of  heathenism  in  all  missionary  lit- 
ei’atnre.  In  Aj^ril  the  Rev.  Mr.  Robbins  and 
l)r.  Tracy  arrived  to  join  the  A.  B.  C.  F.  M. 
mission,  but  both  left  the  following  year. 

This  year  (1838)  was  one  memorable  in  the 
history  of  the  Presbyterian  mission,  as  in  it  oc- 
curred the  visit  of  the  Rev.  R.  M^.  Dee,  who  had 
been  directed  by  the  Presbyterian  Board  to  pro- 
ceed to  Bangkok  and  rej)ort  upon  its  eligibility 
as  a station  for  the  missionary  operations  they 


HISTORY  OF  THE  MISSIONS. 


357 


were  about  entering  upon  for  the  Chinese,  so 
difficult  of  access  in  their  own  country.  During 
his  month’s  stay  in  Siam,  Mr.  Dee  found  so  large 
a field  unoccupied,  where  laborers  from  our 
branch  of  the  Church  would  be  gladly  wel- 
comed, that  he  urged  upon  the  Board  the  es- 
tablishment of  a mission  in  that  land,  not  only 
to  the  Chinese  there,  but  to  the  Siamese  also. 
November  5,  1838,  Dr.  Bradley  was  ordained  a 
minister  of  the  gospel  by  his  congregational  asso- 
ciates. 

In  1839  the  Siamese  government  availed  itself 
of  one  of  the  mission  printing-presses  to  multiply 
copies  of  a royal  proclamation  against  opium,  and 
had  an  edition  of  nine  thousand  copies  struck  off. 
In  August  of  this  year  the  Rev.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Slaftee  of  the  Baptist  mission  arrived. 

In  1840  vaccination  was  successfully  intro- 
duced into  Siam  by  Dr.  Bradley, — a great  boon 
to  the  people,  among  whom  small-pox  often  com- 
mitted fearful  ravages. 

The  American  Board’s  mission  was  strongly 
reinforced  in  its  Siamese  departments  early  in 
the  year  by  the  arrival  of  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Jesse 
Caswell,  Asa  Hemenway,  N.  S.  Benham  and  their 
wives,  with  Miss  Pierce — Mr.  Benham  to  lose  his 
life  in  one  short  month  by  drowning,  his  boat 
capsizing  in  the  Menam  when  returning  from 
an  evening  prayer-meeting.  The  Rev.  Messrs. 
French  and  Peet,  with  their  wives,  also  arrived 


358 


67.1.1/  AND  LAOS. 


in  May.  To  tlie  Chinese  department  of  the  Bap- 
tist mission  came  the  Rev.  Josiah  Goddard  and 
his  wife  in  October. 

It  was  in  August  of  this  same  year  that  the 
Rev.  William  Buell  and  wife,  the  first  mission- 
aries of  the  Presbyterian  Board  to  the  Siamese, 
arrived  in  Bangkok.  There  were  then  in  Siam 
no  less  than  twenty-four  adult  male  and  female 
missionaries. 

But  the  next  year  Mr.  Slaftee  died  of  dysen- 
tery and  Mrs.  Johnson  of  brain  fever,  and  the 
widowed  Mrs.  Benham  returned  to  the  United 
States.  In  1842,  Mr.  French  died  of  consump- 
tion, and  the  following  year  his  widow  left  Siam 
for  the  United  States. 

In  1842,  by  the  treaty  made  at  the  close  of  the 
war  between  England  and  China,  the  island  of 
Hong  Kong  was  ceded  to  the  English  and  five 
important  seaports  thrown  open  to  foreign  resi- 
dence and  trade.  Dr.  Dean,  under  instruction 
from  his  Board,  who  hastened  to  enter  the  now 
unbarred  gates  of  access  to  the  Chinese  empire, 
removed  early  in  the  year  to  Hong  Kong,  leav- 
ing the  Chinese  church  in  Bangkok  in  charge  of 
Mr.  Goddard. 

In  1843,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  H.  Chandler  arrived 
from  Burmah,  where,  as  a type-founder  and  lay 
missionary,  he  had  been  employed  for  three 
years.  Being  a practical  machinist,  he  did 
much  to  introduce  a knowledge  of  the  useful 


HISTORY  OF  THE  MISSIONS. 


359 


arts  among  some  of  the  leading  men  of  the  king- 
dom. Prince  Chow  Pah  Noi,  who  subsequently, 
in  1851,  was  made  the  second  king,  became  a 
pupil  of  his,  and  constructed  a well-appointed 
machine-shop  under  his  supervision,  as  did  also 
an  intelligent  young  Siamese  nobleman  of  pro- 
gressive ideas  who  afterward  became  master  of 
the  mint. 

In  1844  the  first  steamer  ever  seen  in  Siam 
made  its  appearance,  and  greatly  astonished  the 
natives.  On  leaving,  it  took  as  passengers  to 
Singapore  the  Pev.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Buell,  the  only 
missionaries  of  the  Presbyterian  Board,  who  were 
now,  after  only  three  and  a half  years’  residence, 
most  reluctantly  obliged  to  abandon  their  work, 
Mrs.  Buell  having  been  stricken  with  paralysis. 
With  their  departure  (February  24th)  the  Pres- 
byterian mission  in  Siam  died  out,  or  rather  was 
suspended,  and  more  than  three  years  elapsed 
before  it  was  resumed.  It  had  from  the  first 
been  the  intention  of  the  Board  to  establish  and 
maintain  a Chinese  department,  but  those  sent 
out  for  this  purpose,  on  reaching  Singapore  and 
learning  there  how  fully  open  China  proper  was 
to  the  gospel,  felt  themselves  called  to  proceed  to 
that  land,  whose  claims  seemed  so  much  greater. 
Miss  Pierce  of  the  American  Board,  who  had 
come  out  as  a missionary  teacher,  but  failed  to 
gather  a school,  died  of  consumption  in  Septem- 
ber of  this  year. 


360 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


The  year  1845  witnessed  quite  a reduction  in 
the  number  of  the  American  missionaries  in 
Siam.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Davenport  and  wife  (now 
Mrs.  Fanny  Feudge)  of  the  Baj)tist  mission  left 
for  the  United  States,  to  return  no  more,  and  Dr. 
Jones,  also,  on  a visit.  The  Rev.  Charles  Robinson 
and  family  of  the  A.  B.  C.  F.  M.  also  left  Siam 
(Mr.  R.  to  die  at  St.  Helena  on  his  passage 
home),  while  Mrs.  Dr.  Bradley  died  at  Bang- 
kok in  the  triumphs  of  faith  after  years  of 
efficient  and  loving  service  for  her  Saviour — a 
most  valuable  helper  in  her  husband’s  work. 

It  was  in  this  year  that  Prince  Chow  Fah 
IMongknt  (Chow  Fa  Yai),  who  afterward  became 
king,  then  head-priest  of  a royal  monastery 
within  the  city-walls,  invited  one  of  the  Amer- 
ican missionaries,  the  Rev.  Jesse  Caswell,  to 
become  his  private  tutor.  So  anxious  was  this 
priest-prince  for  instruction  that  he  offered  an 
inducement  which  he  knew  would  weigh  heavily 
with  a missionary — the  use  of  a room  in  a build- 
ing on  the  temj)le-grounds,  where,  after  his  hour 
for  teaching  was  over,  he  could  preach  and  dis- 
tribute Christian  tracts.  The  arrangement  was 
made  and  carried  out  for  over  a year  and  a half. 
So  much  of  the  future  of  Siam  in  providence  was 
to  hinge  on  those  hours  of  intimate  intercourse 
between  the  faithful  teacher  and  his  illustrious 
and  most  diligent  pupil  that  all  the  jiarticulars 
are  of  interest.  The  prince  was  then  about  forty 


HISTORY  OF  THE  MISSIONS. 


361 


years  of  age — his  teacher  a graduate  of  Lane 
Theological  Seminary,  a member  of  the  Presby- 
tery of  Cincinnati,  and  in  the  service  of  the 

A.  B.  C.  F.  M. 

In  1846  the  American  Board,  rightly  deeming 
China  projjer  a Avider  and  more  promising  field 
for  the  labors  of  their  Chinese-speaking  mission- 
aries, decided  to  give  up  their  Chinese  depart- 
ment in  Siam,  instructing  Messrs.  Johnson  and 
Peet  to  proceed  to  China  and  establish  a neAv 
mission  at  Fuh-ChoAv-fuh.  AVith  the  close  of 
the  year  came  the  Bev.  Mr.  Jenks  to  assist  Mr. 
Goddard  of  the  Baptist  mission,  only  to  leave, 
hoAvever,  before  the  close  of  the  next  yeai',  in 
consequence  of  the  failure  of  Mrs.  Jenks’s 
health. 

Ill  February,  1847,  Dr.  Bradley,  with  his 
three  motherless  children,  left  on  a visit  to  the 
United  States,  his  ship  passing  in  the  Gulf  of 
Siam  the  vessel  in  which  newly-appointed  mis- 
sionaries of  the  Presbyterian  Board,  Bev.  Stephen 
Mattoon  and  wife  and  Samuel  B.  House,  M.  D., 
Avere  on  their  way  to  recommence  the  mission- 
work  of  that  Board  in  Siam,  which  had  been  so 
long  discontinued. 

These  brethren  had  sailed  from  Xew  York  for 
China  in  the  ship  Grafton  in  July,  1846,  arriv- 
ing at  Macao,  after  a fi\m  months’  voyage,  on 
Christmas  Day.  No  opportunity  thence  direct 
to  Siam  presenting,  they  AA^ere  constrained  to 


3G2 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


proceed  via  Singapore.  There  they  were  most 
hospitably  entertained  by  the  Rev.  B.  P.  Keas- 
berry,  a missionary  to  the  Malays,  then  of  the 
London  Missionary  Society.  Finding  in  the 
harbor  a native-built  trading-ship  belonging  to 
the  king  of  Siam,  commanded  by  a European, 
they  secured  a passage  in  it  to  Bangkok,  which, 
after  a tedious  voyage  of  twenty-four  days,  they 
reached  March  22,  1847,  eight  months  after  they 
left  New  York.  The  journey  from  New  York 
to  Bangkok  can  now  be  made  by  transcontinental 
railways  and  Pacific  mail-steamers,  or  by  English 
steamers  and  the  Suez  Canal,  according  as  one 
goes  west  or  east,  in  six  or  seven  weeks  only. 

Upon  arriving  the  new-comers  were  most  cor- 
dially received  by  the  brethren  of  the  A.  B.  C. 
F.  M.  and  the  American  Baj)tist  mission,  and 
welcomed  to  the  homes  of  Messrs.  Caswell  and 
Hemenway,  the  only  remaining  members  of  the 
A.  B.  C.  F.  M.,  till  the  vacant  houses  on  their 
premises  could  be  prepared  for  their  reception. 
They  were  soon  visited  by  many  of  the  nobles 
and  princes,  and  took  an  early  opportunity  to 
pay  their  respects  to  the  Praklang,  Prince  T. 
Mourfanoi  (Chow  Fah  Noi),  and  his  elder 
brother,  T.  Y.  Chow  Fah  Mongkut,  the  prince- 
priest,  at  his  residence  in  a beautiful  monastery 
in  the  city.  By  both  these  princes  they  were 
most  kindly  received — by  the  last-named  with 
marked  regard,  which  they  ever  retained. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  MISSIONS. 


363 


The  tidings  spreading  that  a new  foreign  phy- 
sician had  come  to  Siam,  patients  of  every  de- 
scription and  of  all  classes  crowded  for  relief, 
till  Dr.  House  was  compelled  to  reopen  the  dis- 
pensary, which  had  long  been  sustained  by  Dr. 
Bradley  in  a floating-house  moored  in  front  of 
the  mission  premises.  During  the  first  eighteen 
months  he  had  prescribed  for  three  thousand  one 
hundred  and  seventeen  patients.  Mr.  Mattoon 
applied  himself  successfully  to  the  study  of  the 
language,  and  soon  entered  upon  the  work  of 
tract-distribution,  visiting  for  this  purpose  the 
wats  or  Buddhist  monasteries  of  the  city,  none 
being  more  ready  to  receive  Christian  books  than 
the  priests — or  monks,  rather — themselves. 

In  the  ensuing  cool  season  many  tours  were 
made  with  the  brethren  of  other  missions. 
Petchaburee,  Ayuthia,  Prabat  and  Petrui  were 
visited,  and  everywhere  they  found  a ready 
reception  for  the  books  and  tracts  they  carried 
with  them. 

In  1848  the  Rev.  John  Taylor  Jones,  D.  D., 
returned  with  Mrs.  S.  S.  Jones  and  Miss  Harriet 
Morse,  a missionary  teacher,  but  Mr.  Goddard 
of  the  same  mission  was  obliged  to  remove  to  a 
more  invigorating  climate,  and  left  for  Ningpo, 
China.  In  September  of  this  year  the  mission 
cause  sustained  an  irreparable  loss  in  the  death 
of  Jesse  Caswell.  He  was  a man  of  most  earnest 
purpose  and  rare  fitness  for  the  missionary  work. 


364 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


His  qualifications  as  a teacher  were  appreciated 
by  the  Prince  Chow  Fah  Mongkut,  who  chose 
him  as  his  instructor  in  the  Englisli  language 
and  science,  and  derived  from  him,  chiefiy  dur- 
ing the  eighteen  months’  continuous  instruction 
he  received,  those  enlarged  and  liberal  ideas  in 
government  and  religion  which,  Avhen  he  suc- 
ceeded to  the  throne,  led  him  to  open  Siam  to 
commerce  and  improvement.  No  wonder  that 
after  he  became  king  he  erected  a handsome 
tomb  over  his  esteemed  teacher’s  remains  and 
sent  to  his  widow  in  the  United  States  a gift  of 
one  thousand  dollars,  and  subsequently  five  hun- 
dred dollars  more,  as  tokens  of  regard  for  liLs 
memory.  In  February,  1849,  Mrs.  Caswell  and 
family  returned  to  America. 

Mr.  Caswell’s  death  and  Mr.  Henienway’s  ill- 
ness threw  now  upon  Mr.  Mattoon,  though  he 
had  been  but  eighteen  months  in  the  field,  the 
Sabbath  preaching-service  at  the  station  and  a 
tri-weekly  service  at  a hired  room  used  as  a 
chapel  in  the  bazaar.  There  were,  too,  many 
applicants  for  books  daily  at  the  houses  of  the 
missionaries,  and  they  had  to  be  instructed  and 
supplied. 

In  1849  the  Presbyterian  missionaries  were 
made  glad  by  the  arrival  in  April  of  the  Rev. 
Stephen  Bush  and  wife,  as  were  the  Baptists  by 
the  Rev.  Samuel  J.  Smith’s  arrival  in  June. 
When  a lad  Mr.  Smith  had  been  taken  into 


HISTORY  OF  THE  MISSIONS.  3()5 

tlie  family  of  Dr.  Jones,  came  on  with  him  to 
Siam,  had  been  sent  by  him  thence  to  the  United 
States  to  he  educated,  and  now  came  out  to  assist 
that  veteran  missionary  in  his  w'ork. 

The  newly-arrived  missionaries  were  busy  in 
the  acquisition  of  the  language  when  suddenly 
the  pestilence  like  a thunderbolt  burst  upon 
the  inhabitants  of  Bangkok,  sweeping  to  de- 
struction in  less  than  one  month  full  thirty-five 
thousand,  or  about  one-tenth,  of  its  population. 
For  days  together,  when  this  epidemic  of  Asiatic 
cholera  was  at  its  height,  there  were  two  thou- 
sand deaths  in  the  twenty-four  hours  in  Bang- 
kok alone.  The  mission  families  were  graciously 
permitted  to  abide  in  peace  and  safety.  As  may 
be  imagined,  the  whole  time  of  the  missionary- 
physician  was  engrossed  by  attendance  on  the  sick 
and  the  dying  in  princes’  palaces  and  in  bamboo 
huts,  and,  through  the  blessing  of  Providence  on 
remedies  to  which  he  was  directed,  many  lives 
w^ere  saved  and  many  lifelong  friends  secured  to 
himself  and  the  religion  he  professed.  Of  all 
those  thousands  that  perished,  alas ! but  one  died 
in  hope — an  old  man  from  a far-distant  up- 
country  home,  who  from  the  reading  of  Chris- 
tian tracts  alone,  without  ever  seeing  the  living 
teacher,  had  joyfully  received  the  truth,  and, 
finding  his  way  to  Bangkok  and  to  the  Baptist 
mission  to  be  instructed  more  perfectly,  got  there 
just  in  time  (so  it  wms  strangely  ordered)  to  be- 


HIAM  AND  LAOS. 


3GG 

come  one  of  the  earliest  victims  of  the  epidemic. 
He  died  without  fear,  trusting  in  the  Saviour  he 
had  found. 

August  29,  1849,  witnessed  the  organization 
of  the  first  Presbyterian  church  in  Siam.  Earn- 
est prayer  went  up  that  day  that  the  little  vine 
there  planted  might  flourish  and  increase,  and 
at  last  overshadow  the  land.  To  this  church, 
made  up  of  the  mission  families,  a worthy  native 
brother  was  added  by  certificate  from  the  church 
in  connection  with  mission  of  the  A.  B.  C.  F.  M. 
— Quakieng,  who,  it  will  be  remembered,  had 
been  baptized  by  Mr.  Johnson  in  1844. 

With  the  last  week  of  the  year  1849  the  Bev. 
Asa  Hemenway,  the  sole  remaining  missionary 
of  the  A.  B.  C.  F.  M.,  after  just  ten  years  of  faith- 
ful service  on  mission-ground,  embarked  with  his 
family  for  the  United  States,  and  the  operations 
of  that  Board  in  Siam  closed.  For  fifteen  years 
its  missionaries  had  cultivated  this  interesting 
and  inviting,  but  as  to  visible  results  most  bar- 
ren, field.  From  none  of  the  native  races  of  the 
land  had  they  gathered  one  reliable  convert. 
Their  missionaries  had  labored,  and  labored 
well,  but  others  were  to  enter  into  their  labor. 
The  “set  time”  for  Siam’s  visitation  had  not  yet 
come.  It  would  seem  that  “ he  that  letteth  must 
let,  till  he  be  taken  out  of  the  way”  of  this  man- 
fearing  people  before  gospel  truth  could  have 
“ free  course,  run  and  be  glorified.”  The  hooks 


HISTORY  OF  THE  MISSIONS. 


367 


that  they  prepared,  translated  and  distributed, 
the  favor  won  by  their  gratuitous  healing  of  the 
sick,  and  the  introduction,  first,  of  inoculation 
and  afterward  of  vaccination  for  the  small-pox, 
the  training  given  in  habits  of  industry  and 
order  and  in  knowledge  of  the  Christian  Script- 
ures to  those  employed  by  them  in  their  print- 
ing-office and  in  their  families,  were  not  lost,  nor 
the  high  opinion  the  natives  learned  to  entertain 
of  the  truthfulness,  benevolence  and  goodness  of 
American  Christian  men  derived  from  them  and 
their  worthy  Baptist  associates.  And  we  must 
not  forget  how  largely  the  career  of  progress  on 
which  Siam  has  since  entered  is  traceable  to  the 
influence  of  one  member  of  this  mission. 

In  the  spring  of  1850  the  Bev.  Dr.  Bradley, 
who  had,  while  in  the  United  States,  transferred 
his  relations  to  the  American  Missionary  Associ- 
ation, returned  with  Mrs.  Sarah  B.  Bradley  and 
his  children,  and  with  him  came  as  associates  the 
Bev.  L.  B.  Lane,  M.  D.,  and  Prof.  J.  Silsby.  To 
the  A.  M.  A.  had  been  made  over  the  dwelling- 
houses,  chapel,  printing-press,  etc.  of  the  A.  B.  C. 
F.  M. ; the  ground  on  which  they  stood  had  been 
only  leased. 

It  was  now  imperatively  necessary  that  the 
Presbyterian  mission  should  have  a home  of 
its  own,  but  all  attempts  to  procure  one  failed. 
The  knowledge  of  the  unwillingness  of  the  gov- 
ernment to  give  foreigners  any  foothold  upon  the 


3G8 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


soil  deterred  the  owners  of  suitable  locations  from 
selling  to  the  missionaries.  And  when  at  last 
one,  braver  than  the  rest,  was  found  willing  to 
part  with  land  enough  for  a station  in  the  upper 
part  of  the  city,  and  permission  to  purchase  ob- 
tained from  the  proper  official,  and  the  money 
had  been  paid  over,  and  one  of  the  missionaries 
with  his  family  had  removed  in  a floating  house 
to  the  spot  to  commence  building,  a peremptory 
order  from  one  of  the  highest  grandees  revoked 
the  permission  given,  and  compelled  the  return 
of  the  mission  family  and  the  payment  back  of 
the  purchiise-money  by  the  seller.  No  other 
reason  was  given  than  that  “ the  residence  of 
foreigners  there  was  contrary  to  the  custom  of 
the  country.”  Nor  could  any  eligible  site  be 
rented  even. 

The  king,  who  had  always  been  a zealous  and 
bigoted  Buddhist,  had  now  become  more  despotic 
and  selfish  and  averse  to  foreign  intercourse  than 
ever,  monopolized  himself  what  little  trade  there 
was,  and  settled  down  into  a narrow  policy  that 
would  exclude  all  nations  but  China  from  the 
products  of  his  dominion.  Neither  of  the  friend- 
ly embassies  which  visited  Siam  this  year — that 
from  America  in  March  or  that  from  England 
in  August  — could  obtain  an  audience  even, 
much  less  gain  any  concessions  in  matters  of 
trade  or  residence  or  protection  of  the  interests 
of  their  people. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  MISSIOXS. 


369 


The  English  ambassador,  the  celebrated  Sir 
James  Brooke  (“  Bajah  Brooke”),  mortified  and 
insulted  by  the  reception  given  him,  withdrew, 
threatening  to  return  with  a fleet  and  force  that 
should  compel  respect.  War  seemed  so  imminent 
that  the  proposition  kindly  made  to  the  mission 
families  to  retire  with  the  ships  of  the  embassy, 
lest  hostile  measures  entered  upon  should  subject 
not  English  residents  only,  but  all  speaking  the 
English  tongue,  to  a fate  like  that  of  Dr.  Judsoii 
when  the  war  broke  out  with  Burmah,  was  seri- 
ously considered,  though  not  accepted. 

Very  dark  were  the  prospects  of  all  the  mis- 
sions now.  The  native  teachers  were  arrested 
and  imprisoned,  and  threatened  with  the  ratan 
and  with  fetters;  the  Siamese  servants  left  in  a 
panic ; none  came  to  hear  preaching  or  applied 
for  books. 

But  the  darkest  hour  is  just  before  day.  Just 
then,  in  the  overruling  providence  of  God,  a mor- 
tal though  lingering  illness  seized  the  king,  and 
for  months  all  things  were  in  suspense  till,  in 
April,  1851,  his  long  reign  ended  and  he  “ en- 
tered into  Nipan,”  as  the  Siamese  say  when  roy- 
alty expires. 

Upon  the  throne,  as  his  successor,  was  now 
placed,  by  the  concurrent  voice  of  the  grand 
council  of  princes  and  nobles,  the  Prince  Chow 
Fall  Mongkut,  and  Siam  entered  upon  a new  era 
in  her  history;  for  this  remarkable  man  by  his 

24 


370 


67.43/  AND  LAOS. 


devotion  to  study  during  the  twenty-seven  years 
of  his  seclusion  from  public  affairs  in  a monas- 
tery, while  his  inferior  half-brother,  who  had 
artfully  supplanted  him,  reigned  with  so  strong 
a hand,  and  by  his  intimate  association  with  the 
American  missionaries,  and  especially  by  his  hav- 
ing been  long  under  the  almost  daily  tutelage  of 
one  of  them,  had  become  emancipated  from  many 
of  the  jDrejudices  of  his  countrymen,  and  prepared 
to  set  the  wheels  of  progress  in  motion. 

Bright  now  were  the  prospects  of  the  mission- 
aries. Their  teachers  and  their  old  servants  re- 
turned, and,  as  the  sovereign  was  known  to  be 
personally  friendly  to  the  missionaries,  they  were 
treated  with  respect  by  all  ranks,  and  had  every- 
where a civil  hearing  for  the  message  they  brought. 
Indeed,  they  were  assured  from  the  throne  on  the 
day  of  the  coronation,  when  they  were  invited  to 
the  palace,  that  they  should  be  unmolested  in 
their  work.  Lest,  however,  they  should  be  too 
exultant  in  their  new  hopes.  Providence  was 
pleased  to  order  trials  and  bereavements  to  each 
of  the  missions.  Mrs.  Bush  had  an  attack  of 
hemorrhage  from  the  lungs,  that  on  the  22d  of 
July,  after  six  short  weeks  of  illness,  resulted  in 
her  death.  No,  it  was  not  death,  but  a transla- 
tion. To  those  who  witnessed  her  triumphant 
departure  it  seemed  as  if  her  spirit,  when  it 
reached  the  threshold  of  the  gate  of  the  heav- 
enly city,  turned  to  tell  them  what  she  saw. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  MISSIONS. 


371 


“Beautiful!”  she  said — “beautiful!  Heaven  is 
one  great  beauty.” 

Early  in  January,  in  the  midst  of  the  other 
discouragements,  the  Baptist  mission  had  suffered 
a great  calamity.  A fire  in  the  night,  doubtless 
of  incendiary  origin,  had  destroyed  their  dwell- 
ing-houses, chapel,  printing-press  — including  a 
large  edition  just  completed  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment in  Siamese — and  nearly  all  their  personal 
effects.  Their  loss  amounted  to  ten  or  twelve 
thousand  dollars.  A temporary  house  of  bam- 
boo and  thatch  was  hastily  thrown  up,  but  new 
dwellings  must  be  erected,  and  from  exposure  to 
the  sun  and  fatigue  in  procuring  timber  for  the 
rebuilding  Dr.  Jones  was  taken  ill,  and,  his  con- 
stitution being  impaired  by  a score  of  years  spent 
in  the  tropics,  he  succumbed  to  disease  on  the 
13th  of  September,  and  passed  peacefully  away — 
an  irreparable  loss  to  his  mission  and  to  Siam. 
He  was  a man  of  excellent  judgment,  piety  and 
culture,  and  had  a rare  mastery  of  the  Siamese 
language  with  its  curious  idioms  that  made  him 
most  acceptable  to  the  natives  as  a preacher  and 
writer.  His  translation  of  the  New  Testament 
and  several  tracts  that  he  prepared  attest  his 
scholarship  in  Siamese  and  his  ability. 

Just  before  this  sad  event  the  Rev.  William 
Ashmore  and  wife,  who  had  been  sent  out  by  the 
Baptist  Board  to  take  charge  of  the  Chinese  de- 
partment, arrived  in  Bangkok. 


372 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


And  now  the  Presbyterian  mission  obtained  at 
last  wbat  it  bad  so  many  years  sought  in  vain. 
An  eligible  location  was  tendered  them  near  the 
centre  of  the  city,  not  far  below  the  palace,  ad- 
joining one  of  the  largest  wats  and  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  several  others. 

About  this  time  the  king,  with  a singular  ap- 
preciation for  an  Oriental  monarch  of  the  im- 
j)ortance  of  female  education,  in  a note  in  which 
he  says  he  “ desires  several  ladies  who  live  with 
him  to  acquire  knowledge  in  English,”  invited 
the  wives  of  the  missionaries  to  visit  his  palace 
and  alternate  in  giving  regular  instruction  to  his 
ninnerous  family.  Gladly  and  with  much  inter- 
est did  Mrs.  Mattoon,  Mrs.  Dr.  Bradley  and  Mrs. 
Dr.  Jones,  representing  the  three  missions  in  the 
field,  enter  upon  their  Avork — the  first  zenana- 
teaching  ever  attempted  in  the  East:^  Twenty- 
one  of  the  thirty  young  Avives  of  the  king,  and 
several  of  his  royal  sisters,  composed  the  class. 
During  the  three  years  these  labors  continued 
much  Christian  as  Avell  as  secular  knoAvledge  was 
imparted  to  these  secluded  ones — saving  knowl- 
edge, it  was  hoped,  in  the  case  of  one  at  least,  a 
princess  of  the  highest  rank. 

As  soon  as  the  rains  were  over  and  possession 
was  gDen  of  their  new  premises,  Messrs.  Mattoon 
and  Bush  proceeded  to  enclose  the  ground,  dig 

* This  was  in  1851.  Instruction  was  first  given  in  zenanas 
in  India  in  1858  [or  1857]. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  MISSIONS. 


373 


trenches  for  the  foundations,  purchase  rafts  of 
teak-wood  logs  and  superintend  their  sawing  by 
hand  into  the  timber  and  planks  required  to  put 
uj)  two  plain  but  convenient  brick  dwelling- 
houses.  Mr.  Bush’s  experience  and  practical 
skill  here  proved  of  great  value.  Before  the 
rains  fairly  set  in,  early  in  June,  one  house  was 
finished,  and  Mrs.  Mattoon  and  family  removed 
into  it  from  the  floating  house  on  the  river, 
lent  to  them  by  a friendly  prince,  Avhich  had 
been  their  temporary  home  while  the  new  build- 
ing was  going  up.  They  had  found  it  not  an  un- 
desirable residence,  though  one  memorable  dark 
night,  having  been  detached  from  its  moorings 
that  it  might  slip  away  from  a fire  that  was 
raging  on  a river-bank  near,  through  the  care- 
lessness of  a servant  it  got  adrift  and  carried  its 
inmates  off  against  their  will,  with  a rapid  tide, 
seven  or  eight  miles  down  the  river  before  its 
progress  could  be  arrested.  The  truant  dwell- 
ing, however,  with  all  its  contents  undisturbed, 
with  the  turn  of  the  tide  was  brought  back  to  its 
old  moorings  safe  and  sound. 

The  other  dwelling-house  was  soon  completed 
and  occupied.  The  mission  having  now  a home 
of  its  own  and  ample  room,  in  October,  1852, 
a boarding-school  for  Sianio-Chinese  boys  was 
opened,  and  Qnakieng,  who  was  an  experienced 
Chinese  teacher,  put  in  charge — the  free  tuition 
the  lads  would  receive  half  of  each  day  in  their 


374 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


father-tongue  being,  it  was  hoped,  an  inducement 
that  wonld  attract  snch  pupils  within  the  reach 
of  Christian  instruction. 

Before  the  first  year  ended  twenty-seven  had 
been  enrolled.  All  attempts  to  gather  Siamese 
boys  in  a school  had  failed  thns  far,  though  some 
individual  scholars  had  been  taught,  as  the  wats 
gave  free  tuition  to  all,  and  merit  was  made  by 
providing  the  priests  with  their  pupil-attendants. 

An  interesting,  amiable  young  Hainan  Chinese, 
See  Teng  by  name,  had  the  year  previous  been 
baptized  by  Mr.  Mattoon,  in  whose  family  he 
long  had  lived — the  first  of  that  people  to  be- 
come a Protestant  Christian — and  gave  pleasing 
evidence  of  his  love  to  his  Saviour  by  the  inter- 
est he  manifested  in  bringing  his  fellow-conn- 
tryraen  to  the  knowledge  of  the  gospel.  A Sab- 
bath evening-service  was  held  for  their  benefit, 
the  new  convert  acting  as  Bible-reader  and  inter- 
preter. Afterward  a Hainan  teacher  was  secured, 
and  for  many  years  a Hainan-Chinese  depart- 
ment of  the  boarding-school  maintained,  in  the 
hope  of  bringing  under  saving  Christian  influ- 
ences some  of  the  many  Chinese  in  Siam  from 
the  island  of  Hainan,  which  had  been  hitherto 
entirely  unreached  by  Protestant  missionary  ef- 
fort. A day-school  for  the  Peguan  girls  in  the 
neighborhood  was  started  by  Mrs.  Mattoon,  who 
had  also  two  or  three  native  girls  in  her  own 
family  under  Christian  training. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  MISSIONS. 


375 


About  this  time  great  numbers  came  to  the 
houses  of  the  missionaries  for  books  and  conver- 
sation on  religious  matters,  fifty  or  sixty  in  a day, 
attendance  upon  whom  required  the  whole  time 
of  one  of  the  brethren.  Over  a thousand  Chris- 
tian books  a month  were  thus  put  into  the  hands 
of  intelligent  readers.  Young  priests  and  boys 
from  the  neighboring  wats  were  frequent  visitors, 
and  as  no  second  volume  was  given  until  they  had 
been  questioned  on  the  contents  of  the  first,  and 
many  thus  received  the  whole  series  of  the  pub- 
lications of  the  mission,  Tnuch  Scripture  truth 
must  have  been  imparted.  So  eager  were  some 
of  these  lads  for  books  that  they  would  swim 
across  the  river  to  get  one,  and  then  swim  back 
with  but  one  hand,  holding  up  the  prize  high 
and  dry  with  the  other. 

And  now  followed  a time  of  great  outward 
prosperity — the  government  friendly,  the  mis- 
sionaries enjoying  the  respect  of  all  classes,  their 
schools  flourishing,  their  books  eagerly  sought. 
The  mission  of  the  American  Missionary  Asso- 
ciation, as  a special  token  of  the  king’s  regard 
for  its  senior  member.  Dr.  Bradley,  was  per- 
mitted to  occupy  a very  desirable  location  at 
the  mouth  of  the  principal  canal  of  the  city, 
the  chief  channel  of  travel  west. 

In  December,  1852,  Mr.  Bush,  whose  health 
required  a change,  left  for  the  United  States. 

The  next  year  Dr.  House  made  a tour  of  great 


376 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


interest,  }>artly  on  foot,  partly  on  elephants,  to 
Korat,  an  important  inland  town  north-east  of 
Bangkok,  over  in  the  great  valley  of  the  Cam- 
bodia River,  returning  by  Kabin,  and  distribut- 
ing many  books  and  making  known  to  many 
a surprised  listener  in  a wide  district  of  country 
never  before  visited  by  a missionary,  or  a white 
man  even,  the  strange  doctrine — strange  to  them 
— of  the  being  of  a living  God  and  salvation  with- 
out personal  merit  freely  granted  for  another’s 
sake.  Much  of  Mr.  Mattoon’s  time  was  now 
given  to  the  work  of  making  a revised  transla- 
tion of  the  New  Testament  into  Siamese. 

In  1854  a Mormon  missionary  found  his  way 
to  Siam,  but,  meeting  no  encoin-agement,  soon 
withdrew.  The  Siamese  did  not  need  any  urg- 
ing to  the  practice  of  polygamy. 

Prof.  Silsby  left  Siam  in  JNIay  of  this  year,  and 
Mr.  J.  H.  Chandler  and  wife  returned,  and  with 
them  came  the  Rev.  Robert  Telford  and  wife  to 
assist  in  the  Chinese  department  of  the  Baptist 
mission. 

In  January,  1855,  Dr.  Lane  of  the  A.  M.  A., 
on  account  of  the  health  of  his  family,  and  Miss 
Morse  of  the  Baptist  mission,  took  their  final 
leave  of  Siam. 

The  time  was  now  at  hand  when  Siam,  so  long 
secluded  and  almost  unknown,  was  to  enter  more 
fully  into  the  family  of  nations  by  treaties  of  com- 
merce and  friendship  with  the  great  powers  of  the 


HISTORY  OF  THE  JIISSIOXS. 


377 


West.  Sir  John  Bowring,  then  governor  of  Hong 
Kong,  arrived  March,  18oo,  as  British  ambas- 
sador to  the  court  of  Siam,  and  was  cordially 
welcomed  by  the  king,  with  whom  he  had  j>re- 
viously  been  in  friendly  correspondence.  Aided 
by  his  able  secretary  of  legation,  Consul  Parkes 
(now  Sir  Harry  Parkes,  British  minister  to  Pe- 
kin), in  one  short  month,  in  one  week  of  actual 
negotiation,  he  overturned  the  customs  and  prej- 
udices of  centuries,  and  had  conceded  to  him  by 
the  enlightened  ruler  of  the  land  and  his  minis- 
ters of  state  the  abolition  of  all  the  government 
monopolies  of  articles  of  trade,  the  removal  of 
the  old  foolish  prohibition  of  the  export  of  rice 
and  teak-wood,  moderate  duties  on  imports,  the 
residence  of  consuls  to  protect  the  interests  of 
their  countrymen,  and  liberty  for  British  sub- 
jects to  travel  and  take  up  land  in  the  country. 
This  treaty  opened  the  way  for  all  subsequent 
treaties  with  other  nations,  and  so  opened  Siam 
to  the  commerce  of  the  world. 

Dr.  House  availed  himself,  when  the  embassy 
left  Siam,  of  the  courteous  offer  of  a free  passage 
to  Singapore,  to  make  a brief  visit  to  his  native 
land  to  seek  for  the  reinforcements  his  mission 
so  greatly  needed.  While  at  home  he  was  or- 
dained and  married,  and,  re-embarking  with 
Mrs.  House  and  the  Bev.  A.  B.  Morse  and  wife, 
reached  Bangkok  again  in  July,  1856,  greatly  to 
the  joy  of  the  solitary  mission  family  that  with 


378 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


faith  and  patience  unwearied  had  been  “ hold- 
ing the  fort.” 

INIeanwhile,  a month  or  two  before,  our  United 
States  government  had  by  its  ambassador,  Town- 
send Harris,  Esq.,  negotiated  a treaty  almost  iden- 
tical with  the  British,  and,  to  the  great  satisfaction 
of  the  Siamese,  Mr.  Mattoon  was  appointed  con- 
sul. Dr.  William  M.  Wood,  late  surgeon-general 
U.  S.  Navy,  avIio  accompanied  the  embassy,  tes- 
tifies in  his  book,  Fankwei,  that  the  “ unselfish 
kindness  of  the  American  missionaries,  their  pa- 
tience, sincerity  and  truthfulness,  have  Avon  the 
confidence  and  esteem  of  the  natives,  and  in  some 
degree  transferred  those  sentiments  to  the  nation 
represented  by  the  missions,  and  prepared  the 
Avay  for  the  free  national  intercourse  now  com- 
mencing. It  Avas  very  evident  that  much  of  the 
apprehension  they  felt  in  taking  upon  themselves 
the  responsibilities  of  a treaty  Avith  us  would  be 
diminished  if  they  could  have  the  Rev.  Mr.  Mat- 
toon  as  the  first  U.  S.  consul  to  set  the  treaty  in 
motion.”  ]\Ir.  Mattoon  accepted  the  office,  how- 
ever, only  till  a successor  should  be  appointed  at 
Washington.  Meanwhile,  his  mission-work — 
preaching,  translating,  etc. — was  not  intermitted. 

In  1856  the  schools  reported  forty-seven  in 
attendance,  and  every  department  of  the  work 
was  in  successful  operation. 

Another  station  in  Bangkok  being  thought 
desirable,  and  a large  lot  with  broad  frontage  on 


HISTORY  OF  THE  MISSIONS. 


379 


the  river  on  its  west  bank  in  the  lower  suburbs 
of  the  city  becoming  available,  it  was  secured, 
and  Mr.  Morse  (a  bamboo  cottage  being  put  up 
for  his  temporary  residence)  removed  there  and 
commenced  building  a brick  dwelling-house. 
Ere  its  walls  were  half  up  he  was  completely 
prostrated  by  disease,  and  forced,  to  the  great  re- 
gret of  his  associates,  to  leave  the  field  and  the 
work  he  loved,  and  for  which  he  was  so  well 
qualified.  Previous  to  his  leaving,  Mrs.  Mattoon, 
finding  an  American  ship  loading  at  Bangkok  to 
sail  direct  for  the  United  States  in  March  of  this 
year,  had  availed  herself  of  the  opportunity  to 
make  a visit  home  for  rest  and  to  recruit  her 
strength,  exhausted  by  ten  years’  toil  in  a trop- 
ical climate. 

It  being  necessary  to  go  on  and  comjilete  the 
building  begun  by  Mr.  Morse,  and  the  new  prem- 
ises there  having  the  advantage  of  carrying  on 
some  departments  of  missionary  work,  and  not 
being  subject  to  ground-rent,  as  was  the  other 
place,  it  was  deemed  best  to  give  up  the  upper 
station,  dispose  of  the  buildings  there  and  estab- 
lish the  Presbyterian  mission  permanently  on  the 
newly-purchased  ground.  The  reinoval  of  the 
mission  to  the  new  station,  four  miles  below,  was 
made  in  November,  1857,  and  another  dwelling- 
house  immediately  commenced. 

This  was  nearly  completed  when,  June  20, 
1858,  the  Rev.  Jonathan  Wilson  and  wife  and 


380 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


the  Rev.  Daniel  INIcGilvary  arrived,  Messrs.  W. 
and  McG.  had  been  room-mates  at  Princeton 
Seminary;  while  there  had  both  felt  the  claims 
upon  them  of  missionary  work,  and  had  become 
much  interested  in  Siam ; but  after  graduating 
JMr.  McGilvary  was  called  to  become  pastor  over 
a church  in  North  Carolina,  and  Mr.  Wilson  had 
gone  out  as  a missionary  to  the  Choctaw  Indians. 
Years  passed,  and  each  had  been  led  by  the  press- 
ing needs  of  the  field  to  offer  himself  to  the  Board 
for  service  there,  and  most  gratifying  was  it  to  find 
that  they  were  to  be  sent  out  together. 

The  number  of  ordained  ministers  now  war- 
ranted the  formation  of  a Presbytery,  and  the 
Presbytery  of  Siam  was  duly  constituted  Sep- 
tember 1,  1858. 

In  the  study  of  the  language,  aiding  in  the 
instruction  of  the  pupils  in  the  boarding-school 
and  in  tract-distribution  the  new  brethren  found 
enough  to  busy  them. 

In  January,  1859,  the  Rev.  S.  Mattoon,  who 
had  then  for  some  twelve  years  without  inter- 
mission borne  the  burden  and  heat  of  the  day, 
returned  to  the  United  States  for  the  much-need- 
ed change,  rejoining  his  family  there. 

Signs  of  more  than  usual  religious  interest 
appeared  about  this  time,  and  one  of  the  native 
teachers,  Nai  Chune,  applied  for  Christian  bap- 
tism. So  deep,  however,  Avas  the  duplicity  of 
this  people  generally,  and  so  many  who  professed 


HISTORY  OF  THE  MISSIONS. 


381 


interest  in  the  teacliings  of  the-gospel  had  proved 
to  be  influenced  by  purely  selfish  motives,  that 
when  this  case  of  genuine  conviction  of  the  truth 
occurred,  just  what  they  had  been  hoping  and 
praying  for  so  long,  the  brethren  distrusted  the 
sincerity  of  the  man,  and  put  him  off  from  week 
to  week  until  fairly  compelled  to  admit  that  the 
miracle  of  converting  grace  had  actually  been 
wrought  even  in  a Siamese,  and  they  could  no 
longer  forbid  water  that  he  should  be  baptized. 
The  day  of  Nai  Chime’s  baptism  (August  7, 
1859)  was  to  them  a jubilee  indeed.  With  tears 
of  joy  they  gathered  in  at  last,  after  more  than 
twelve  years  of  toil  unblest,  the  first-fruits  of 
their  labor  among  the  Siamese. 

It  was  singular  that  this  same  year  (in  Decem- 
ber) the  mission  should  lose  its  first  church-mem- 
ber— Quakieng,  the  faithful,  consistent  Chinese 
native  assistant.  He  was  attacked  by  cholera 
and  died,  commending  his  dej^arting  spirit  to  his 
heavenly  Father.  With  his  death  the  Hokien- 
Chinese  instruction  in  the  mission-school  ceased, 
and  soon  after  the  teaching  of  the  Hainan  Chi- 
nese in  their  native  tongue.  The  school  was  too 
well  established  now  to  need  to  hold  out  this  in- 
ducement to  attract  pupils. 

The  cholera  was  quite  prevalent  in  April,  and 
Mrs.  Wilson  nearly  became  a victim.  Other  dis- 
eases set  in,  and  she  lingered  on  the  borders  of 
the  spirit-land  till  July  10th,  when  she  closed 


382 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


a blameless  Christian  life  and  entered  into  the 
home  of  the  blessed  with  words  of  rapture  on 
her  lips. 

The  stricken  band  in  the  Presbyterian  mis- 
sion were  greatly  cheered  and  strengthened  two 
months  after  by  the  return  (September  15th)  of 
]\Ir.  Mattoon  and  family,  and  with  them  the  Rev. 
N.  A.  McDonald  and  the  Rev.  S.  G.  McFarland 
and  their  wives. 

Up  to  this  time  the  Presbyterian  mission  had 
been  dependent  for  its  jirinting  upon  sister-mis- 
sions, but  now  a press  of  its  own,  sent  out  by  the 
Board,  was  set  up  and  soon  in  successful  opera- 
tion. A year  or  two  later  it  reported  an  issue 
of  more  than  half  a million  of  pages  annually. 

In  December,  Mr.  McGilvary  was  married  to 
INIiss  Sophia  R.  Bradley,  eldest  daughter  of  Rev. 
D.  B.  Bradley,  M.  D.,  of  the  American  Mission- 
ary Association.  This  cool  season  Messrs.  Wil- 
son and  McFarland  accompanied  Mr.  Telford  of 
the  Baptist  Board  on  a trip  for  distribution  of 
Siamese  and  Chinese  tracts  down  the  east  coast 
of  the  gulf  as  far  as  Chantaboon. 

With  such  an  accession  to  the  members  of  the 
Presbyterian  mission  as  they  had  lately  received, 
it  was  now  deemed  that  the  time  had  come  for 
them  to  establish  a new  station  somewhere  out- 
side of  Bangkok,  ajid  Petchaburee  was  fixed 
upon  as  its  location.  This  is  an  important  in- 
land town,  some  eighty-five  miles  south-west 


HISTORY  OF  THE  MISSIONS. 


383 


from  the  capital  city,  situated  in  the  midst  of 
charming  scenery  in  a fertile  and  populous  dis- 
trict of  country.  The  acting  governor  of  the 
province  favored  the  having  a station  there,  and 
offered  every  assistance ; and  this  in  a place 
where  the  authorities  treated  very  uncivilly  the 
first  missionaries  who  visited  it,  and  arrested 
those  who  received  books  at  their  hands. 
Ground  having  been  purchased  and  the  house 
they  had  secured  made  ready  for  them,  in  June, 
1861,  Messrs.  McGilvary  and  McFarland,  with 
their  families,  removed  to  Petchaburee.  An- 
other dwelling-house  was  soon  under  way,  and 
a school  opened  on  the  premises,  with  the  sons 
of  the  governor  and  lieutenant-governor  enrolled 
among  the  pupils. 

The  name  Petchaburee  signifies  the  “ city  of 
diamonds,”  and  soon  after  their  arrival  the  mis- 
sionaries found  there,  in  the  midst  of  the  rubbish 
of  heathen  superstition  and  idolatry,  a gem,  a liv- 
ing stone  of  priceless  value,  that  has  since  been 
taken  to  shine  doubtless  in  the  Pedeemer’s 
crown.  It  was  a native  Siamese,  Nai  Kawii 
by  name,  from  a village  near,  who  called  upon 
them  to  place  his  son  under  their  instruction. 
The  lad  already  knew  the  Ten  Commandments 
and  the  Lord’s  Prayer.  The  father  himself  sur- 
prised them  by  his  facility  in  quoting  Scripture, 
repeating  whole  chapters  of  Pomans ; and  on 
conversing  with  him  it  appeared  that,  though 


384 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


he  had  never  seen  a missionary,  from  some  two 
or  three  portions  of  the  Scripture  and  a few 
Christian  tracts  that  had  fallen  in  his  hands, 
taught  hy  the  Spirit  of  God,  he  had  gained,  and 
accepted  too,  a wonderfully  clear  view  of  salva- 
tion hy  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Gladly 
he  received  other  portions  of  the  New  and  Old 
Testament,  and,  further  instructed,  he  hecame  a 
fearless  and  efficient  witness  for  the  truth  before 
his  countrymen  of  high  and  low  degree. 

The  brethren  at  Petchahuree,  with  the  freest 
access  to  the  Siamese  everywhere,  found  a pecu- 
liarly inviting  field  of  labor  among  a colony  of 
^ Laos  numbering  ten  thousand  or  so,  settled  near 
them.  These  people,  adherents  of  a prince  who 
had  failed  in  his  struggle  for  the  throne,  had  fled 
in  a body  from  their  own  land  in  the  far  north- 
east some  eighty  years  before,  and,  seeking  refuge 
in  the  dominion  of  the  king  of  Siam,  had  been 
assigned  a home  and  lands  in  this  fertile  prov- 
ince. They  were  made  serfs  of  the  king,  how- 
ever, and  much  of  the  time  had  to  work  for  their 
new  royal  master.  A preaching-place  Avas  secured 
in  one  of  their  villages,  and  these  toiling  exiles 
seemed  to  he  interested  hearers  of  the  word. 

But  to  return  to  Bangkok.  In  December, 
1861,  Esther,  a young  native  woman  who  had 
been  brought  up  in  the  family  of  Mrs.  Mattoon, 
was  baptized, — the  first  native  female  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  mission-church  of  Siam. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  MISSIONS. 


385 


On  February,  2,  1862,  the  Rev.  S.  C.  George 
and  wife,  who  had  been  sent  out  by  the  Presby- 
terian Board,  arrived  in  Bangkok.  Mrs.  George 
was  a sister  of  Mrs.  Johnson,  one  of  the  noble 
company  of  martyred  missionaries  put  to  death 
by  Nana  Sahib’s  orders  at  Cawnpore.  Much 
faithful  colporteur  work  in  the  city  and  suburbs 
was  done  this  year  by  Mr.  Wilson,  and  mission- 
tours  were  made  to  Camburi  and  Prabat  by  him 
and  other  missionaries.  A neat  mission-chapel 
which  had  been  built  on  the  mission  premises 
without  drawing  upon  the  funds  of  the  Board 
was  opened  for  divine  service  in  May.  In  De- 
cember, Messrs.  McDonald  and  House,  with  Mr. 
Telford  of  the  Baptist  mission,  made  a coasting- 
trip  to  Chantaboon,  distributing  many  Siamese 
and  Chinese  books  and  tracts  there  and  at  other 
places  visited  on  the  way. 

The  first  fruit  of  the  labor  of  the  Petchaburee 
missionaries  was  gathered  in  February,  1863, 
when  Kao,  a young  Siamese  of  much  proimse, 
was  baptized.  He  had  entered  Mr.  McFarland’s 
service  that  he  might  acquire  a knowledge  of 
English,  but  he  was  instructed  also  in  the  way 
of  life,  and  learned  that  which  made  him  wise 
unto  salvation.  One  short  month,  and  he  left 
his  dying  testimony  to  the  excellence  of  the  new 
religion  he  had  embraced.  Called  away  by  sud- 
den and  severe  illness,  his  last  words  were,  “ Why 
do  you  weep?  I am  not  afraid  to  die.  I love 

25 


STAM  AND  LAOS. 


3«(j 

the  Lord  Jesus.  I am  going  to  lieaven.  My 
heart  is  happy.”  There  Avere  others  in  Petcha- 
buree  who  soon  after  had  the  courage  to  renounce 
Buddhism  and  publicly  avow  themselves  Chris- 
tians. May  10,  1863,  a Siamese  man  and  his 
wife,  who  had  been  long  in  Mr.  McGilvary’s 
employ,  and  a young  Sianio-Chinese  in  Mr. 
McFarland’s,  were  baptized  and  a church  or- 
ganized in  Petchaburee.  It  Avas  an  occasion  of 
great  and  joyful  interest  to  the  brethren  there. 

In  May  the  ReA".  Robert  Telford  and  wife 
of  the  Baptist  mission,  after  nine  years’  labor 
among  the  Chinese  of  Siam,  were  obliged  to 
leave  Siam  in  quest  of  health,  embarking  for 
China. 

Mr.  McGilvary,  in  his  labors  for  their  spirit- 
ual good,  had  become  so  much  interested  in  the 
Laos  people  settled  near  him  in  Petchaburee  that 
he  was  anxious  to  learn  if  something  could  not 
be  done  for  the  evangelization  of  the  hundreds 
of  thousands  of  Laos  in  the  tributary  states  to  the 
north,  as  yet  unreached  by  the  gospel.  Accord- 
ingly, with  the  consent  of  the  mission,  he  made  in 
that  cool  season,  with  ]\Ir.  M'ilson,  an  exploring- 
tour  to  the  hitherto  unvisited  North  Laos  coun- 
try, journeying  partly  by  boat,  partly  on  ele- 
phants, as  far  as  Cheung  Mai,  the  capital.  The 
travelers  were  well  received  by  the  authorities, 
and  after  an  absence  of  eleA’en  Aveeks  returned 
strongly  impressed  Avith  the  practicability  and 


HISTORY  OF  THE  MISSIONS. 


387 


desirableness  of  establishing  a mission  among 
that  interesting  people. 

The  varied  work  of  the  mission  at  the  two 
stations  was  carried  on  as  in  former  years,  some 
engaged  in  the  boys’  school,  others  having  charge 
of  the  printing-press  or  translating  the  Scriptures 
or  preparing  tracts  and  catechisms,  maintaining 
the  preaching-services,  conversing  with  visitors, 
distributing  tracts  or  medicines,  vaccinating  na- 
tive children,  studying  the  language  with  native 
teachers,  or  conducting  the  daily  morning  ser- 
vice, which  all  on  the  mission  premises  or  in 
mission  employ  were  required  to  attend,  and 
when,  with  the  brief  exposition  of  the  Scripture 
read,  much  religious  instruction  was  given.  The 
wives  of  the  missionaries  also  did  much  for  the 
instruction  of  the  native  females  in  their  families 
and  neighborhoods  in  reading  and  sewing  and  in 
Bible-classes  on  the  Sabbath. 

In  February,  1864,  Dr.  and  Mrs.  House  left 
on  a visit  to  the  United  States,  the  state  of  Mrs. 
House’s  health  requiring  it ; and  a few  months 
later  Mrs.  Mattoon,  whose  asthmatic  trouble  had 
returned,  was  compelled  to  take  her  final  leave 
of  Siam.  Her  husband  remained  to  finish  the 
important  work  on  which  he  had  long  been  en- 
gaged of  making  a revised  translation  of  the 
New  Testament  into  Siamese.  Mr.  Wilson,  whose 
health  had  become  impaired,  accompanied  Mrs. 
Mattoon  and  her  children  to  America. 


388 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


Ill  December,  1864,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Dean,  whose 
shattered  constitiitioii  had  been  restored  by  eleven 
years’  sojourn  in  liis  native  land,  gladly  returned 
(with  Mrs.  Dean,  Miss  F.  Dean  and  the  Rev.  C. 
H.  Chilcott)  to  take  charge  again  of  the  Baptist 
Board’s  mission-work  for  the  Chinese  and  of  the 
Chinese  church  in  Bangkok,  which  he  had  found- 
ed. Mr.  Chilcott  was  removed  by  death  before 
lie  had  entered  on  the  second  year  of  his  mis- 
sionary life. 

In  December,  1865,  the  Rev.  S.  Mattoon  took 
his  final  and  regretful  leave  of  the  land  and  the 
jjeople  for  whose  good  he  had  labored  so  long 
and  so  faithfully — a loss  to  the  community  as 
well  as  to  the  mission.  From  the  date  of  his 
embarkation  for  the  field  to  that  of  his  arrival  in 
the  United  States  on  his  return  was  just  twenty 
years. 

April  4,  1866,  the  Rev.  P.  L.  Carden  and  wife 
arrived  to  join  the  Presbyterian  mission,  and  in 
July  the  Rev.  J.  Wilson  returned  with  Mrs.  Kate 
M.  Wilson.  In  July  also  came  Miss  A.  M.  Fielde, 
to  be  connected  with  the  Chinese  department  of 
the  Baptist  mission.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  House  re- 
turned in  December  from  their  visit  home,  with 
health  renewed. 

The  industrial  school  for  girls  in  Petchaburee, 
which  has  since  brought  so  many  of  the  women 
and  girls  of  that  city  under  daily  Christian  in- 
struction and  training  in  habits  of  neatness  and 


HISTORY  OF  THE  MISSIOHS. 


389 


industry,  commenced  by  Mrs.  McFarland  the 
year  previous,  was  now  an  established  success. 
The  boys’  boarding-school  at  Bangkok  prospered 
under  Mr.  George’s  superintendence.  The  fall 
of  1866  was  a season  of  marked  religious  interest 
at  the  Bangkok  station ; there  were  several  de- 
cided cases  of  conversion,  and  a daily  jDrayer- 
meeting  instituted  by  the  converts  was  well  sus- 
tained. 

In  1867  (October  1)  the  missionaries  write : 
“ During  the  past  twelve  months  more  additions 
have  been  made  to  the  native  church  than  in  all 
the  previous  years  of  its  history.”  Eleven  had 
been  received  at  Bangkok  and  four  at  Petcha- 
buree — nine  of  the  number  pupils  of  the  mis- 
sion-schools. 

This  year  (1867)  was  memorable  as  witnessing 
the  commencement  of  the  Presbyterian  mission 
in  North  Laos.  On  the  3d  of  January  its  pio- 
neer missionary,  the  Bev.  Daniel  McGilvary, 
with  his  family,  embarked  on  what  was  to  prove 
a three  months’  voyage  up  the  Menam.  Having, 
besides  the  strong  current  of  the  river,  no  less 
than  thirty-two  decided  rapids  to  surmount  in 
their  boats,  it  was  not  till  the  1st  of  April  that 
Cheung  Mai,  their  destination,  was  reached.  The 
king  gave  them  a friendly  reception  and  provided 
them  with  a temporary  home.  Numbers  visited 
them  daily,  and  gradually  they  acquired  the  con- 
fidence of  the  people,  who  heard  them  gladly. 


390 


SIAM  AXB  LAOS. 


The  year  following  the  Rev.  Jonathan  Wilson 
and  wife  undertook  the  formidable  journey,  and 
left  Bangkok  to  join  the  McGilvarys  at  Cheung 
Mai,  Not  long  after  their  arrival,  during  a visit 
of  Dr.  House  to  the  new  mission,  a church  was 
organized  in  that  remote  heathen  city,  with  many 
an  earnest  prayer  that  the  “little  one  might  be- 
come a thousand.”  On  his  way  thither  over  the 
Laos  Mountains,  Dr.  House  had  a narrow  escape 
from  death.  The  elephant  on  which  he  had 
been  riding  unexpectedly  turned  ujion  him, 
struck  him  down  with  its  trunk  and  then 
wounded  him  severely  whilst  attempting  to 
transfix  him  with  its  tusks. 

In  3Iay,  1808,  the  Rev.  P.  L.  Carden,  who  had 
lastly  been  stationed  at  Petchaburee,  was  obliged 
to  withdraw  from  the  field  on  account  of  the  seri- 
ous illness  of  his  wife.  This  year  the  Rev.  Sam- 
uel J.  Smith  and  wife  (formerly  Mrs.  Dr.  Jones), 
who  had  been  so  long  connected  with  the  Amer- 
ican Baptist  Board,  became  self-supporting,  Mr. 
Smith  having  charge  of  a large  printing-estab- 
lishment and  a weekly  English  newspaper,  but 
maintaining  Sabbath  preaching  and  other  ser- 
vices in  Siamese,  and  Mrs.  Smith,  able  and  inde- 
fatigable as  a teacher  and  writer,  doing  much  in 
the  work  of  instruction  and  in  other  ways  for  the 
good  of  Siam. 

As  Mr.  Chandler’s  connection  Avith  the  Board 
had  been  severed  some  ten  years  before,  the  Siam- 


HISTORY  OF  THE  MISSIONS. 


391 


ese  department  of  the  Baptist  mission  ceased  now 
to  exist. 

An  unusually  protracted  total  eclipse  of  the 
sun  was  to  occur  this  year  in  August,  and  the 
Siamese  dominions  afforded  the  very  best  place 
in  the  world  to  observe  it.  His  Majesty  the  king 
of  Siam,  himself  a practical  astronomer  and  very 
fond  of  the  science,  generously  invited  the  French 
astronomical  expedition  to  be  his  guests  on  the  oc- 
casion— the  governor  of  Singapore  also,  and  the 
foreigners  in  Bangkok  generally,  including  the 
missionaries.  He  went  himself  with  his  entire 
court,  with  quite  a fleet  of  steamers,  down  the 
Avest  coast  of  the  gulf,  some  two  hundred  miles, 
to  Hua  Wan,  the  point  selected,  where  the  jungle 
had  been  cleared  and  a bamboo  palace  with  other 
buildings  had  been  put  iq?,  expending  upon  his 
right  royal  hospitalities  in  the  whole  affair  about 
ninety-six  thousand  dollars.  A malarial  fever 
taken  there  brought  ou,  not  long  after  his  return 
to  his  capital,  the  death  of  this  martyr  to  science, 
the  most  enlightened  of  all  the  sovereigns  of  Asia. 
He  died  with  Buddha’s  last  words  as  the  last  upon 
his  lips:  “All  that  exists  is  unreliable.”  He  used 
to  say  to  the  missionaries,  “The  sciences  I receive, 
astronomy,  geology,  chemistry, — these  I receive; 
the  Christian  religion  I do  not  receive ; many  of 
your  countrymen  do  not  receive  it.”  And  noAV 
he  died  as  the  philosopher  dieth,  stepping  out 
into  the  darkness  beyond,  on  which  neither  sci- 


392 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


eiice  nor  Buddhisni  shed  a ray-of  light  or  gleam 
of  comfort.  As  he  had  chosen  to  live  without 
God  in  the  world,  so  he  died  without  hope — the 
blessed  hope  of  eternal  life  which  sustains  the 
dying  Christian,  and  iniglit  have  been  his.  In 
the  death  of  the  king  the  missionaries  lost,  some 
of  them,  a kind  personal  friend  and  “ well-wish- 
er,” as  he  used  to  sign  himself,  and  all  a friendly- 
dis]Josed,  liberal-minded  sovereign,  who  put  no 
obstacles  in  the  way  of  their  evangelizing  his 
})eople. 

The  king’s  eldest  son.  Prince  Chulalongkorn, 
then  a youth  of  fifteen  years  only,  was  made  his 
successor  by  the  unanimous  choice  of  the  gran- 
dees of  the  realm.  His  royal  father  judzed  too 
highly  the  knowledge  and  all  that  came  to  him 
through  the  study  of  English  not  to  have  his 
heir-apparent  taught  that  tongue.  So  from  his 
early  boyhood  an  English  governess  had  been 
provided  for  him  and  his  numerous  brothers 
and  sisters.  From  this  accomplished  lady  he 
doubtless  derived  many  excellent  ideas  and 
principles,  though  by  the  terms  of  her  engage- 
ment she  was  expressly  forbidden  to  teach  Chris- 
tianity to  any  in  the  palace.  After  she  left  Siam 
he  was  for  several  months  under  the  tuition  of 
Mr.  Chandler. 

The  young  king  won  golden  opinions  from  the 
missionaries — who  sought  an  early  audience  to 
express  their  condolence,  congratulations  and 


HISTORY  OF  THE  MISSIONS. 


393 


bc!?t  wishes — by  his  prepossessing  manners,  his 
intelligence  and  the  evident  sincerity  of  his  as- 
surances of  good-will. 

During  his  minority  the  affairs  of  the  king- 
dom were  successfully  administered  by  the  re- 
gent, the  one  who  had  been  prime  minister 
during  the  late  reign — a man  of  great  execu- 
tive ability.  The  conservatism  of  this  ablest  and 
wisest  statesman  of  Siam  was  perhaps  a needful 
check  upon  what  Avere  possibly  too  strong  tend- 
encies toward  reform  in  the  youthful  sovereign, 
Avho  Avould  fain  have  abolished  slavery  for  debt 
and  suppressed  gambling  by  an  immediate  de- 
cree. But  his  minority  was  Avell  improved.  He 
Avas  the  first  ruler  of  Siam  to  break  over  the 
superstition  that  Avould  prevent  his  setting  foot 
outside  of  his  oavii  dominions,  and  before  he  was 
tAventy  had  Ausited  other  countries — the  first  year 
Singapore  and  Java;  in  a subsequent  one,  Brit- 
ish Burmah,  Calcutta,  Bombay,  and  other  cities 
of  British  India — intelligently  observing  every- 
thing, and  returning  AA’ith  many  ideas  of  improA^e- 
ments  to  be  made  at  home. 

In  January,  1869,  the  missionaries  A\’ere  rein- 
forced by  the  addition  of  the  Bev.  James  W. 
Van  Dyke  and  the  Bev.  John  Carrington  and 
their  wives  to  the  Presbyterian  mission,  and  Bev. 
S.  B.  Partridge  to  the  Baptist.  Mr.  Van  Dyke 
Avas  assigned  at  once  to  the  Petchaburee  station 
as  a colleague  to  Mr.  McFarland,  then  laboring 


394 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


alone.  Mr.  Carrington  remained  at  Bangkok, 
and  while  acquiring  the  language  gave  valua- 
ble assistance  in  the  school. 

At  the  Laos  mission  the  brethren  had  much 
to  encourage  them.  The  king  of  Cheung  Mai 
had  granted  them  a spacious  lot  of  ground  on 
the  river-bank  for  their  homes ; the  gospel  truth 
they  preached  was  working  in  the  hearts  of  those 
who  heard  it,  and  one,  whose  heart  had  been 
won  before,  when  the  falsity  of  his  own  sacred 
books’  scientific  teachings  had  been  shown  by 
the  fulfillment  of  the  foreign  teachers’  prediction 
of  the  great  eclipse,  was  brave  enough  to  renounce 
Buddhism  and  receive  Christian  baptism.  The 
name  of  this  first  convert  was  Nan  Intah.  Others 
too  were  brought  out  of  darkness  into  light,  till 
in  the  first  seven  months  of  the  year  1869  seven 
converts  were  baptized. 

But  a storm  was  gathering,  soon  to  burst  upon 
them.  The  king,  a brave  warrior,  but  a narrow- 
minded, arbitrary,  superstitious  ruler,  who  had 
never  comprehended  their  true  errand,  though 
apparently  friendly,  when  he  saw  they  were  be- 
ginning to  draw  his  people  over  to  the  new  faith 
determined  to  uproot  it  from  his  dominions.  He 
first  attempted  to  get  rid  of  the  missionaries 
themselves,  forwarding  a complaint  against  them 
to  the  authorities  at  Bangkok  and  requesting 
their  removal.  The  nature  of  the  charge  so 
illustrates  the  superstition  of  the  people  and  the 


HISTORY  OF  THE  MISSIONS. 


395 


character  of  the  man  that  the  story  of  it  must  be 
given. 

On  the  31st  of  March,  1869,  there  Avas  received 
at  the  U.  S.  consulate  a communication  of  which 
the  following  is  a literal  translation : “ ChoAV 
Phya  Pooterapai,  Minister  of  the  Interior,  begs 
to  inform  the  acting  consul  of  the  United  States 
of  America  that  Pra  Chow  KaAvilorot,  the  king 
of  Cheung  Mai,  has  sent  down  letters  to  Prince 
Hluang  Hluang  and  the  Prime  Minister  and 
myself,  the  purport  of  all  being  the  same — viz. 
that  whereas  in  former  times  the  principalities 
of  Cheung  Mai  and  Lampang  and  LamjAOon  had 
never  been  subject  to  visitation  of  famine,  now 
for  two  years — the  year  of  the  Tiger  [1866—67] 
and  the  year  of  the  Rabbit  [1867-68] — there 
has  been  a scarcity  of  rice.  It  is  evident  that 
what  has  befallen  the  country  is  because  in  these 
lands,  Avhere  no  foreigner  ever  before  had  come 
to  live  permanently,  now  at  this  time  the  mis- 
sionary McGilvary,  who  has  come  as  a teacher 
of  religion,  had  taken  up  his  residence  in  Cheung 
Mai.  Hence  these  calamities  have  come  upon 
them.  He,  the  king  of  Cheung  Mai,  begs  that 
the  consul  be  made  to  issue  an  order  withdraw- 
ing [lit.  “ pulling  up”]  the  missionary  McGil- 
vary and  requiring  his  return.  What  is  proper 
to  be  done  in  this  matter?  You  are  requested  to 
take  the  subject  into  consideration.” 

To  this  letter  Mr.  IMcDonald,  who,  singidarly 


396 


67.1.1/  AND  LAOS. 


eiioiigli,  liajipened  to  be  acting  U.  S.  consul  at 
that  time,  under  date  of  April  1st  replied  sub- 
stantially as  follows  : “ He  has  received  the  com- 
munication of  His  Excellency  the  Minister  of 
Foreign  Affairs  forwarding  the  complaint  of  the 
king  of  Cheung  Mai,  alleging  Mr.  McGilvary  to 
be  the  cause  of  the  famine  in  his  dominions  and 
requesting  his  removal.  In  reply  he  begs  to  say 
that  it  strikes  him  as  rather  singular  to  attribute 
the  famine  during  the  year  of  the  Tiger  [18G6- 
67]  to  Mr.  McG.’s  taking  up  his  residence  in 
Cheung  ]\Iai,  inasmuch  as  the  scant  harvest  of 
that  year  had  already  been  reaped  before  Mr. 
McG.  had  arrived,  or  even  left  Bangkok  to  go 
up  to  Cheung  Mai,  for  it  was  not  till  Jan.  3, 
1867,  that  he  set  out  on  his  journey.  And  this 
year  [1868-69],  though  Mr.  McG.  is  still  at  Che- 
ung Mai,  we  have  tidings  of  an  abundant  harvest 
there.  Moreover,  in  1865— 66,  Korat  and  other 
towns  in  that  quarter  experienced  a severe  fam- 
ine, and  yet  no  foreigner  had  ever  resided  in 
that  region  of  country.  Orders  will  be  given  to 
Mr.  McGilvary  so  to  deport  himself  that  no  fam- 
ine can  be  attributed  to  him  hereafter ; hut  as  to 
his  (the  consul’s)  being  required  to  withdraw 
jNIr.  McG.  and  constrain  him  to  return,  it  would 
be  manifestly  wrong.  His  Excellency  (the  Min- 
ister of  the  Interior)  and  the  Siamese  govern- 
ment gave  consent  to  Mr.  McG.’s  going  up  to 
Cheung  Mai,  and  he  went  on  the  invitation  of 


HISTORY  OF  THE  MISSIONS. 


397 


the  king  of  Cheung  Mai  himself  also.  More- 
over, he  has  expended  on  the  removal  of  his 
family  and  goods  no  small  amount  of  money. 
That  he  (the  consul)  should  be  asked  to  recall 
Mr.  McG.,  and  constrain  him  to  return,  without 
any  transgression  of  the  laws  alleged  against 
him — in  fact,  without  any  reason  whatever — 
would  not  be  right.  The  consul  trusts  His  Ex- 
cellency will  duly  consider  this  matter,  and  that 
his  views  may  accord  with  what  is  just  and  right 
in  the  case.” 

The  Minister  of  the  Interior  in  his  reply, 
dated  April  3d,  states  that  “ his  views  coincide 
with  the  consul’s.  Mr.  McG.  had  in  no  respect 
offended  against  any  of  the  laws  of  the  country. 
His  Excellency  has  some  solicitude  about  the 
matter,  however,  inasmuch  as  the  king  of 
Cheung  Mai  is  a difficult  man  to  deal  with, 
being  often  arbitrary  and  unscrupulous.  He  is 
constrained  to  say  this  much,  that  the  consul 
may  be  apprised  of  the  true  state  of  things.” 

The  warning  was  kindly  given,  but  at  Cheung 
Mai  the  king,  failing  in  this  attempt  to  have  the 
foreign  teachers  expelled,  concealed  his  hostility 
to  them  and  their  work,  and  outwardly  all  went 
on  as  usual.  Meanwhile,  the  truth  was  working 
in  the  hearts  of  not  a few  who  heard  it,  and  the 
truth  made  them  brave  to  confess  their  new- 
found Lord  and  Saviour.  In  seven  months  from 
the  time  when  Nan  Intah  had  been  received  six 


398 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


more  Laos  men  had  professed  themselves  Chris- 
tians and  been  baptized.  Then  suddenly  the  storm 
that  had  been  long  gathering  burst  upon  the  in- 
fant church.  On  the  12th  Sept.,  1869,  two  of 
the  newly-made  converts  w'ere  seized  by  orders 
from  the  king  on  some  false  pretext,  painfully 
pinioned,  and  after  a night’s  imprisonment,  with- 
out trial,  barbarously  i)ut  to  death,  being  beaten 
wdth  clubs  on  the  neck,  one  of  them  pierced  also 
with  a spear.  “ Faithful  unto  death,”  who  can 
doubt  they  have  received  from  the  Lord  Jesus, 
to  whom  dying  they  commended  their  departing 
spirits,  the  crown  of  life,  the  martyr’s  crown,  for 
they  were  as  true  martyrs  as  any  who  were  slain 
in  the  cruel  Nero’s  day  ? The  other  five  church- 
members,  taking  flight,  contrived  to  secrete 
themselves  from  those  who  “ sought  their  lives 
to  destroy  them.” 

The  situation  of  the  missionaries  themselves 
was  now  perilous  in  the  extreme.  They  and  their 
wives  and  their  little  ones  were  in  the  hands  of  a 
merciless,  self-willed,  reckless,  bigoted  despot,  who 
hated  them  and  their  doctrines,  and  were  five  hun- 
dred miles  away  from  consular  or  other  aid.  Suc- 
ceeding at  last  in  getting  a letter  to  their  friends 
at  Bangkok,  the  brethren  of  the  mission,  startled 
by  the  tidings,  and  not  knowing  indeed  if  the 
Laos  missionaries  were  yet  in  the  land  of  the 
living,  hastened  to  lay  the  matter  before  the 
regent.  He  kindly  promised  to  despatch  a 


HISTORY  OF  THE  MISSIONS. 


399 


special  commissioner  to  Cheung  Mai  at  once  with 
any  missionaries  that  might  go,  with  stringent 
orders  that  the  missionaries  there  and  their  fam- 
ilies receive  from  the  Laos  authorities  the  pro- 
tection the  treaty  between  Siam  and  the  United 
States  guaranteed  them.  He  declined,  however, 
to  interfere  in  behalf  of  the  native  Christians. 

Messrs.  McDonald  and  George  bravely  volun- 
teered on  behalf  of  the  mission  to  go  to  the  com- 
fort and  aid  of  their  brethren  in  peril,  and  set 
out  on  the  long  journey,  proceeding  by  boat  to 
Rahang,  thence  traveling  over  the  Laos  moun- 
tains on  elephants  with  the  Siamese  commissioner 
and  his  attendants.  In  a stormy  interview  which 
the  missionaries  had  Avith  the  king  in  the  presence 
of  the  commissioner  he  was  forced  to  admit  that 
the  two  men  had  been  put  to  death  because  they 
had  become  Christians,  and  he  avowed  his  set 
purpose  “ to  kill  all  his  people  who  should  do 
the  same.”  As  to  the  missionaries,  “ they  might 
remain,  as  the  Siamese  government  had  so  or- 
dered, but  they  must  not  teach  religion  nor  make 
Christians.” 

The  future  of  the  Laos  misson  did  indeed  look 
dark,  and  there  seemed  to  be  no  alternative  but  to 
withdraw  from  the  land  while  this  king  reigned. 
But  he  who  was  thus  “breathing  out  threaten- 
ings  and  slaughter”  speedily  had  his  power  for 
evil  taken  from  him  and  was  called  to  his  ac- 
count by  a higlier  Power.  Soon  after,  during  a 


400 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


visit  lie  made  early  in  the  year  1870  to  Bangkok 
to  attend  the  imposing  ceremonies  at  the  crema- 
tion of  his  late  suzerain,  the  king  of  Siam,  he  was 
taken  ill.  His  sickness  increasing,  he  hastened 
home,  but  did  not  live  to  enter  again  the  walls 
of  his  capital,  and  the  supreme  power  passed  into 
the  hands  of  the  second  king,  his  son-in-law, 
who  from  the  first,  with  his  truly  noble  queen, 
had  been  kindly  disposed  to  the  missionaries. 

In  February,  1870,  Mr.  McDonald,  whose 
health  had  become  seriously  imjiaired,  found  it 
necessary  to  visit  the  United  States,  and  left  Siam 
with  his  family.  A young  Siamese  who  accom- 
panied them,  giving  evidence  of  true  conversion, 
w^as  baptized  by  Mr.  McDonald  during  his  so- 
journ in  America. 

Ill  April,  1871,  Mrs.  House  was  obliged  to 
make  a trip  for  a season  to  the  more  temperate 
clime  of  the  United  States,  and,  leaving  her  hus- 
band at  his  post,  returned  alone.  This  year  C. 
W.  Vrooman,  M.  D.,  was  sent  out  as  a medical 
missionary  to  the  Laos.  Proceeding  to  Cheung 
Mai  after  the  rains,  during  his  stay  of  a year 
and  a half  he  accomplished  a good  work  for  the 
mission.  Oct.  11,  1871,  Miss  Fielde  of  the  Bap- 
tist mission  to  the  Chinese  left  Siam,  eventually 
to  join  the  mission  of  the  Board  in  Swatow, 
China. 

Toward  the  close  of  this  year  Mr.  McDonald 
and  family  returned  to  Siam,  and  with  them  the 


HISTORY  OF  THE  MISSIONS. 


401 


Rev.  R.  Arthur  and  wife,  the  Rev.  J.  Culbert- 
son and  Miss  E.  S.  Dickey.  Miss  Dickey 
proved  a most  efficient  and  acceptable  teacher 
in  the  mission-school  at  Bangkok,  and  subse- 
quently at  Petchaburee.  The  last  day  of  1871 
brought  back  to  Siam,  his  native  land,  the  Rev. 
Cornelius  Bradley  and  wife,  to  be  associated  with 
his  father  in  the  mission-work  of  the  American 
Missionary  Association. 

In  June,  1872,  Ayuthia,  the  ancient  capital  of 
Siam,  and  still  a town  of  considerable  importance, 
was  occupied  as  a missionary  station  by  the  Rev. 
J.  Carrington  and  family,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Arthur 
joining  them  before  the  expiration  of  the  year. 
At  Petchaburee  their  new  chapel  was  dedicated 
with  interesting  services  in  August.  In  October, 
1872,  twenty  church-members  were  reported  at 
Petchaburee,  and  eighteen  at  Bangkok.  In  De- 
cember, Mrs.  House  returned  from  her  health- 
trip  to  America,  accompanied  by  Miss  Arabella 
Anderson. 

The  women  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  at 
home  were  now  waking  up  to  realize  their  spe- 
cial privilege  and  duty  to  work  and  give  and 
pray  for  the  women  and  children  of  benighted 
heathen  lands.  The  ladies  of  the  Troy  branch 
of  the  Albany  Synodical  Missionary  Society, 
from  which  two  laborers  had  gone  out  to  Siam, 
becoming  thus  particularly  interested  in  that 
country,  had  undertaken  to  establish  a female 
26 


402 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


boarding-school  at  Bangkok,  and  raised  three 
thousand  dollars  for  that  purpose.  A little  be- 
fore this  a lot  of  ground  on  the  west  bank  of  the 
river,  nearly  opposite  the  palace  of  the  second 
king,  some  five  miles  above  the  lower  station, 
had  been  secured  by  the  mission,  and  a dwell- 
ing-house partially  completed  on  it.  Mr.  and 
j\Irs.  George,  who  were  to  have  occupied  it  as 
a neAV  station,  having  to  return  to  the  home-land, 
Mrs.  George’s  health  failing,  the  Board  tendered 
the  place  and  the  building  to  the  Troy  ladies  for 
their  school  purposes,  on  condition  of  their  in- 
vesting their  own  funds  in  the  building  and 
completing  it.  They  accordingly  took  posses- 
sion, Dr.  and  Mrs.  House  and  Miss  Anderson 
occu])ying  it  in  J)ecember,  1873.  The  school 
was  opened  in  May,  1874,  in  charge  of  Mrs. 
House  and  INIiss  Anderson,  and  by  the  close  of 
the  year  had  a large  number  of  boarding  pupils, 
some  of  them  noblemen’s  daughters. 

The  year  1873  witnessed  a great  diminution 
of  the  number  of  the  missionaries  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Board.  In  January  the  Bev.  S.  C. 
George,  after  eleven  years’  service  as  teacher, 
preacher  and  translator,  left  with  Mrs.  George, 
as  has  been  already  stated.  February  8th  the 
Rev.  S.  G.  McFarland  and  his  wife,  after  twelve 
and  a half  years  of  faithful  and  exhausting  but 
successful  labor  for  this  heathen  people’s  good, 
sought  their  much-needed  and  well-earned  rest 


HISTORY  OF  THE  MISSIONS. 


403 


in  their  native  land.  April  19tli  the  Rev.  D. 
McGilvary  of  the  Laos  mission,  who  had  been 
nearly  fifteen  years  in  the  field,  sailed  from 
Bangkok  with  his  family  to  revisit  his  friends 
and  the  churches  in  the  United  States.  By  the 
same  steamer  Miss  Dickey  also  left,  to  find  in  the 
North  China  mission  a more  congenial  climate. 
Aug.  12th,  Dr.  Vrooman  sailed,  having  with- 
drawn from  the  Laos  mission  in  June.  Aug. 
25th  the  Arthurs  embarked  for  the  United 
States,  Mrs.  Arthur’s  health  having  failed  en- 
tirely. 

But  the  great  loss  to  Siam  this  year  was  by 
the  death  of  the  missionary  of  longest  service  in 
the  field  — the  Rev.  D.  B.  Bradley,  M.  D.,  who 
rested  from  his  unceasing  and  varied  labors  for 
Siam  and  the  Siamese,  continued  for  thirty-nine 
years  with  undiminished  faith  and  zeal,  on  the 
23d  of  June. 

During  the  months  of  June  and  July  the 
cholera  prevailed,  carrying  off  in  twenty  days 
over  five  thousand  victims,  among  them  the 
eldest  son  of  Mr.  McDonald.  In  November, 
Maa  Tuan,  the  eldest  daughter  of  Quakieng, 
the  former  Chinese  assistant,  was  received  to 
church  membership ; two  of  his  sons  were 
afterward  admitted.  A translation  of  Pilgrim's 
Progress,  made  by  the  native  elder  of  the  Bang- 
kok church,  was  printed  this  year  and  was  in 
large  demand. 


404 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


Tlie  recoroiiatioii  of  the  king  took  place  in 
November,  lie  having  now  obtained  his  major- 
ity. On  taking  the  reins  of  government  into 
his  own  hands,  prompted  by  his  own  noble  in- 
stincts, his  inherited  love  of  progress  and  sincere 
desire  for  the  good  of  his  peoj^le,  he  boldly  ven- 
tured upon  reforms  that  were  startling  to  his  old 
courtiers,  and  indeed  to  all  who  had  known  Old 
Siam.  His  coronation-day  was  marked  by  the 
abolition  of  the  degrading  custom  practiced  for 
centuries  of  requiring  those  of  inferior  rank  to 
crouch  and  crawl  on  all  fours  like  spaniels  in 
the  presence  of  their  superiors.  A still  more 
remarkable  change  he  sought  to  introduce  was 
the  giving  up  of  some  of  his  absolute  j^ower  as 
sovereign,  by  creating  a council  of  state  and  also 
a privy  council,  before  whom  all  public  measures 
were  to  be  brought  and  discussed  and  approved 
before  they  could  be  decreed  by  the  king  as  laws. 
In  carrying  out  these  and  other  well-planned  re- 
forms he  received,  however,  but  little  sympathy 
from  the  old  ex-regent  and  his  party. 

In  1874,  to  the  great  regret  of  all,  the  Rev. 
C.  B.  Bradley  was  compelled  to  leave  the,  to  him, 
debilitating  climate  of  Siam.  With  his  family 
he  embarked  for  California  March  8th.  Upon 
his  departure  the  American  Missionary  Associa- 
tion withdrew  altogether  from  the  field,  making 
over  to  the  family  of  Dr.  Bradley  the  mission 
premises  and  the  printing-establishment.  This 


HISTORY  OF  THE  MISSIONS. 


406 


last,  in  fact,  had  been  built  up  by  the  energy  and 
skill  and  labor  of  Dr.  Bradley,  and  its  earnings 
had  for  many  years  more  than  paid  all  the  ex- 
penses of  the  mission. 

The  Presbyterian  Board  was  now  the  only 
Board  left  to  provide  for  the  spiritual  needs  of 
the  Siamese  people.  Would  that  the  Church 
whose  agent  that  Board  is  could  be  made  to 
realize  the  blessedness  of  the  privilege  com- 
mitted to  her  if  improved,  and  the  responsibil- 
ity she  incurs  if  unfaithful  to  her  duty  to  these 
myriads  of  dying  men  and  women ! 

Mr.  Carrington  too  was  forced  by  protracted 
illness  in  his  family  to  take  his  final  leave  of 
Siam. 

In  the  fall  of  1874,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McGilvary 
of  the  Laos  mission,  returning  from  their  visit  to 
America,  arrived  in  Bangkok,  and,  being  joined 
by  Marion  A.  Cheek,  M.  D.,  the  newly-appointed 
medical  missionary  to  these  people,  who  came  out 
by  a later  steamer  early  in  1875,  embarked  for 
their  remote  post  at  Cheung  Mai. 

Under  Dr.  Cheek’s  escort  Miss  Mary  L.  Cort 
and  Miss  Susie  D.  Grimstead  had  come  to  join 
the  Siam  mission.  Both  were  assigned  to  the 
station  at  Petchaburee.  There  Miss  Cort  has 
remained  ever  since,  in  labors  abundant  and 
manifold  and  with  zeal  and  courage  untiring. 

Among  the  converts  reported  in  1875  was  one 
long  in  the  employ  of  the  different  missions  as  a 


406 


67.1.1/  AM)  LAOS. 


printer,  who  had  hardened  his  heart  against  the 
truths  he  had  through  the  press  helped  make 
known  to  others,  and  grown  old  in  sin,  now  con- 
strained to  yield  to  those  truths  and  enter  on  a 
Christian  life.  Two  sons  of  the  old  native  Chi- 
nese assistant,  Quakieng,  who  died  in  1859,  were 
also  received,  and  the  younger  became  a candi- 
date for  the  ministry. 

In  April,  Mrs.  McDonald  embarked  for  the 
United  States  with  her  children,  to  provide  for 
their  education  there,  her  husband  remaining  at 
his  post,  preaching,  superintending  the  press  and 
translating  the  Scriptures  of  the  Old  Testament. 

Oct.  19,  1875,  the  Rev.  S.  G.  McFarland  and 
Mrs.  McFarland  returned  to  Siam,  and  with 
them  came  the  Rev.  Eugene  P.  Dunlap  and 
wife.  On  their  way  down  the  China  Sea  they 
encountered  a typhoon  and  for  many  hours  were 
in  imminent  danger. 

Dr.  Cheek  was  married  in  December  to  Miss 
Sarah  A.  Bradley,  daughter  of  the  late  Rev.  D. 
B.  Bradley,  M.  D.,  and  in  February,  1876,  Miss 
Arabella  Anderson  was  married  to  the  Rev. 
Henry  V.  Noyes  of  the  Presbyterian  mission  in 
Canton,  and  left  with  him,  to  return  to  Siam  no 
more.  The  place  she  had  so  well  filled  in  the 
girls’  hoarding-school  at  Bangkok  was  taken  by 
Miss  Grimstead.  The  number  of  pupils  then  in 
attendance  was  twenty. 

The  health  of  Mrs.  House  had  now  become  so 


HISTORY  OF  THE  MISSIOSS. 


407 


seriously  impaired  by  eight  mouths’  continuance 
of  severe  attacks  of  asthma  that  her  longer  stay 
in  Siam  Avas  out  of  the  question,  and  she  Avas 
reluctantly  obliged  to  hand  over  to  others  her 
cherished  Avork  of  female  education  and  the 
school  for  girls,  uoav  in  successful  operation. 
With  like  regret  did  her  husband  leave  the 
people  and  the  country  for  AA'hose  good  nearly 
thirtA’  vears  of  his  life  had  been  o-iven.  Dr. 

«■  V O 

and  Mrs.  H.  left  for  home  in  March,  1876,  tak- 
ing Avith  them  tAvo  Siamese  lads  of  eleven  to  be 
educated  in  the  United  States  under  their  care. 

Their  departure  made  necessary  the  coming 
over  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Van  Dyke  from  Petchabu- 
ree  to  take  charge  of  the  upper  station  at  Bangkok 
and  assist  Miss  Grimstead  in  the  management  of 
the  girls’  school.  This  same  year,  in  June,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  AVilson,  Avith  health  quite  broken  by 
exhausting  labor  in  their  Laos  mission,  had  to 
go  to  the  United  States  to  rest  and  recover 
strength.  Mr.  AV.  improved  the  opportunity  to 
procure  in  America  the  casting  of  a font  of  Laos 
type — no  easy  task.  At  Cheung  Mai  this  year 
the  AvidoAv  of  one  of  the  martyrs  Avas  baptized 
Avith  her  tAvo  daughters,  and  Xan  Intah,  the  first 
Laos  convert,  had  the  happiness  of  seeing  his 
Avife  and  son-in-laAv  received  to  the  church,  and 
not  long  after  tAvo  daughters  and  a son. 

In  1877  the  first  Siamese  convert  baptized  in 
the  Presbyterian  mission,  Xai  Chune,  AAas  called 


408 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


to  clej)art.  He  died  as  one  who  “knew  in  whom 
he  believed,”  and  said  in  parting  from  the  mis- 
sionary friend  who  visited  him,  “ I must  go  first, 
but  I will  be  waiting  at  the  gate  to  welcome  the 
rest  of  you  when  you  come.”  This  year  Mr. 
McDonald  rejoined  his  family  in  the  United 
States,  returning  with  them  the  year  following. 
The  state  of  Miss  Grirnstead’s  health  compelled 
her  return  to  America  and  the  severance  of 
her  connection  with  the  Board.  The  native 
churches  received  large  accessions  during  the 
year,  thirteen  being  added  to  the  Bangkok 
church,  twenty  to  the  Petchaburee  and  ten  to 
the  church  at  Cheung  Mai,  making  the  total 
number  of  communicants  in  Siam  one  hundred 
and  four,  and  in  Laos  nineteen.  The  king  of 
Siam  manifested  his  interest  in  the  work  of  fe- 
male education  by  the  generous  gift  of  a thousand 
dollars  toward  the  building  for  this  purpose  the 
mission  was  erecting  at  Petchaburee.  This  sum 
was  handsomely  supplemented  by  twelve  hun- 
dred and  sixty  dollars  more,  contributed  by  some 
of  the  higher  princes  and  nobles. 

Early  in  the  year  1878  the  Bev.  J.  M.  Mc- 
Canby  arrived,  and  Miss  Jennie  Korsen — the 
last  to  take  Miss  Grimstead’s  place  in  the  girls’ 
boarding-school.  The  Rev.  S.  G.  McFarland, 
D.  D.,  withdrew  this  year  from  his  connection 
with  the  mission,  having  been  invited  by  His 
Majesty  to  take  the  presidency  of  the  newly- 


HISTORY  OF  THE  MISSIONS. 


409 


planned  King’s  College  at  Bangkok.  The  mis- 
sion press  during  the  twelve  months,  under  Mr. 
Culbertson’s  energetic  supervision,  issued  over  a 
million  pages  of  Scripture  and  other  truth. 

In  October,  1878,  Mr.  M"ilson,  leaving  Mrs. 
Mh  in  America,  as  her  health  did  not  admit  of 
her  accompanying  him,  embarked  on  his  return, 
and  under  his  escort  three  lady  missionary  teach- 
ers— INIiss  Belle  Caldwell  for  Siam,  and  Miss  Edna 
S.  Cole  and  Miss  Mary  Campbell  for  the  Laos. 
Miss  Korsen  becoming  Mrs.  McCauley  and  re- 
moving to  the  lower  station  to  assist  her  husband 
in  charge  of  the  boys’  school.  Miss  Caldwell  took 
her  place  at  the  school  for  girls.  The  boys’ 
school  under  the  McCauleys  had  a membership 
of  fifty-live,  and  good  progress  was  made  in 
study. 

An  appeal  having  been  made  to  the  king  of 
Siam  by  the  missionaries  to  the  Laos  in  behalf 
of  certain  oppressed  native  Christians,  he  was 
graciously  pleased  to  issue  (Sept.  29,  1878)  a 
proclamation  establishing  religious  toleration  in 
Laos,  and  by  implication  throughout  all  his  do- 
minions. 

Under  the  direction  of  the  Presbytery  of  Siam 
two  new  churches  were  organized  this  year — one 
at  the  upper  station  of  Bangkok,  the  other  at 
Bangkaboon,  a fishing-village  near  Petchaburee. 
The  native  Christians  at  Bangkok  bv  their  con- 
tributions  provided  for  the  erection  of  a house 


410 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


for  the  native  preacher  at  Ayutliia,  and  the  en- 
tire support  of  another  assistant  there.  The  total 
ehurch-membershij:)  in  Siam  now  was  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty-three,  and  in  Laos  thirty-one. 

Miss  jNIary  E.  Hartwell,  who  arrived  with  the 
INIcDonalds  early  in  1879,  assisted  Miss  Caldw^ell 
in  the  girls’  boarding-school,  and  Miss  Hattie  H. 
McDonald,  who  was  now  under  appointment  as 
a missionary  teacher,  taught  in  the  boys’  school, 
which  came  under  her  father’s  supervision  when 
the  McCauleys,  who  had  been  in  charge,  were 
compelled  to  remove  to  Petchaburee  by  the  de- 
parture thence,  in  consequence  of  their  failing 
health,  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dunlap,  who  had  been 
there  of  late.  The  Dunlaps  returned  to  the 
United  States  in  November. 

The  lady  teachers  at  Petchaburee,  INIisses  Coff- 
man and  Cort,  had  then  under  their  care  seven 
different  schools  in  and  near  that  city,  number- 
ing nearly  two  hundred  pupils.  At  Cheung  Mai 
the  new  missionary  teachers  soon  had  in  the 
school  there,  which  Mrs.  INIcGilvary  had  com- 
menced, twenty-five  girls,  eighteen  of  whom  were 
boarding  pupils.  Eighteen  Laotian  converts  were 
reported  this  year.  The  Laos  king,  finding  the 
premises  of  the  mission  too  limited,  bought  an 
adjacent  lot  and  generously  presented  it  to  the 
mission. 

In  February,  1880,  Mr.  Culbertson  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  (’aldwell.  In  August,  Ernest  A. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  MISSIONS. 


411 


Sturge,  M.  D.,  sailed  for  Siam  as  a medical  mis- 
sionary, to  be  stationed  at  Petcliabiiree,  and  later 
in  the  year  the  Board  sent  out  to  the  Siam  mis- 
sion the  Rev.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  C.  S.  McClelland, 
with  Miss  Laura  A.  Olmstead.  Miss  Olmstead 
became  Miss  Hartwell’s  associate  in  the  girls’ 
school,  and  the  McClellands  went  to  Petcha- 
buree.  Mr.  McCauley’s  constitution  not  endur- 
ing a tropical  climate,  he  had,  with  his  Avife,  to 
be  transferred  this  year  to  the  mission  of  the 
Presbyterian  Board  in  Japan.  The  state  of  Mrs. 
INIcGilvary’s  health  made  a visit  to  the  United 
States  necessary  for  her,  and  at  the  close  of  the 
year  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Van  Dyke  and  family,  all 
seriously  ill,  after  nearly  twelve  years’  residence 
in  the  tropics,  made  their  first  visit  home. 

The  boys’  school,  under  Miss  H.  H.  McDon- 
ald, numbered  sixty-seven,  of  Avhom  forty  were 
boarding  scholars.  Notwithstanding  the  sad  de- 
fection of  the  native  elder  in  the  First  Church, 
Bangkok,  and  the  absence  for  a Avhile  of  any 
ordained  missionary  at  Petchaburee,  twenty-five 
neAV  converts  were  reported  in  Siam  this  year. 
To  the  church  in  Laos  thirty-nine  Avere  added, 
and  in  July  a neAv  church  was  constituted  in  the 
midst  of  a cluster  of  villages  about  nine  miles 
from  Cheung  Mai.  The  Laos  school,  under  Miss 
Cole’s  care  chiefly,  now  numbered  thirty-five,  of 
whom  tAventy-tAvo  Avere  boarders.  Dr.  McGil- 
vary  spent  seA^ei’al  months  this  year  at  the 


412 


SIAM  Ayi>  LAOS. 


frontier  town  of  Rahang,  where  two  professed  con- 
version, and  in  October  he  baptized  six  adults  and 
organized  a church  in  Lakon,  one  of  the  chief 
cities  of  North  Laos,  one  hundred  miles  east  of 
Cheung  Mai. 

In  1881,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Culbertson  left  the 
field,  iNIrs.  C.  having  lost  her  health,  and  Dr. 
McGilvary  in  March  left  Cheung  Mai  to  rejoin 
his  family  in  the  United  States.  But  one  or- 
dained missionary  able  to  preach  in  the  native 
language  was  now  left  in  Siam,  and  one  in  Laos. 
Nor  were  any  reinforcements  sent  out  this  year 
from  home,  though  one  in  the  field.  Miss  Mary 
^McDonald,  the  second  daughter  of  the  Bev.  N. 
A.  McDonald,  D.  D.,  was  appointed  a missionary 
teacher.  The  new  missionaries  at  Petchaburee 
and  the  lady  teachers  there  were  greatly  tried  by 
the  contumacy  and  unchristian  conduct  of  their 
oldest  native  helper  and  other  church-members, 
and  they  suffered  severely  at  the  station  from 
cholera,  which  prevailed  as  an  epidemic.  No 
less  than  thirty-two  pupils  and  others  on  the 
mission  premises  were  attacked  by  it.  Dr. 
Sturge  was  the  means  of  saving  many  lives  in 
the  town  and  vicinity. 

The  untimely  death  of  Miss  Mary  Campbell  of 
the  Laos  mission,  by  drowning  in  the  Menam  Riv- 
er, in  February  of  this  year,  on  her  return  from  a 
brief  health-trip  to  Bangkok,  brought  sadness  to 
many  hearts  in  America  as  well  as  in  Siam. 


HISTOBY  OF  THE  MISSIUXS. 


413 


Aud  yet  the  year  was  not  devoid  of  blessings. 
The  schools  prospered.  Two  useful  Christian 
tracts  in  Siamese,  composed  by  native  church- 
members,  were  put  in  circulation.  Dr.  Sturge  in 
September  was  married  to  Miss  Turner,  who  be- 
came a valuable  accession  to  the  station  at  Petch- 
aburee.  One  new  church  was  formed  in  the  Laos 
country,  and  no  less  than  fifty  adults  received 
Christian  baptism  there. 

In  1882  the  Laos  mission  were  called  to  part 
with  their  first  Laos  convert,  long  a model  ruling 
elder,  good  old  Nan  Intah.  Faithful  and  true, 
with  a beautiful,  loving  trust  in  his  Saviour,  he 
bade  his  children  and  grandchildren  a cheerful 
farewell,  and  went  to  be  with  Christ.  Dr.  Cheek’s 
medical  practice  was  this  year  greatly  enlarged 
and  very  successful.  About  thirteen  thousand 
patients  were  prescribed  for,  and  thus  much  was 
done  to  break  up  their  confidence  in  spirit-doc- 
tors  and  their  superstitious  fears.  Twenty-three 
were  added  to  the  Laos  churches. 

In  the  Siam  mission  the  Rev.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
McClelland  were,  by  reason  of  his  continued 
illness,  forced  to  give  up  their  mission-work 
and  return  to  the  L^nited  States.  Miss  Coffman 
and  iNIiss  Hattie  McDonald  also  were  obliged  to 
return  in  consequence  of  ill-health.  The  whole 
burden  of  the  schools  in  Petchaburee  fell  now 
upon  Miss  Cort.  Dr.  Sturge  treated  four  thou- 
sand five  hundred  and  fifty-tAvo  cases  — twice 


414 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


the  number  of*  the  previous  year — and  with  the 
funds  raised,  mostly  by  himself,  had  built  a small 
hospital.  The  girls’  school,  Bangkok,  had  thirty- 
seven  names  on  its  roll.  An  exhibit  of  their  skill 
and  industry,  prepared  for  the  Boyal  Centennial 
Exposition  that  came  off  this  year  in  commemo- 
ration of  the  founding  of  Bangkok,  so  pleased 
His  Majesty  the  king  that  he  became  the  pur- 
chaser of  the  whole. 

The  greatly-needed  reinforcements  to  the  mis- 
sions came  this  year,  and  several  who  had  been 
home  to  recruit  their  health  returned.  Mr.  Van 
Dyke  sailed  in  July,  leaving  his  wife  Avith  her 
children.  In  October,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dunlaj) 
gladly  went  back  to  their  work  in  Siam,  and 
Avith  them,  for  the  Siam  mission,  the  Rev.  C. 
I),  and  Mrs.  McLaren  and  Miss  Lillian  M.  Lui- 
nell.  By  the  same  Pacific  mail-steamer  Avent 
Rev.  Dr.  IMcGilAmry  and  Avife  on  their  return  to 
Laos,  and  as  new  recruits  for  that  field  the  Rev. 
J.  Hearst  and  Avife,  the  Rev.  S.  G.  Peoples  and 
the  Misses  Griffin,  Wirt,  Wishard  and  Warner. 
On  reaching  Bangkok,  the  Avliole  party  Avere 
very  graciously  received  by  the  king,  of  Avhom 
they  obtained,  through  the  U.  S.  minister  to 
Siam,  General  Halderman,  an  audience,  and  on 
December  13th  the  large  company  for  Cheung 
]\Iai  was  on  its  way  up  the  river.  The  Bap- 
tist mission  to  the  Chinese,  that  had  now  for 
years  been  maintained  in  successful  operation 


HISTORY  OF  THE  MISSIONS. 


415 


by  the  veteran  missionaries  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Dean, 
unaided  save  by  native  helpers,  was  at  last  rein- 
forced by  the  arrival  of  the  Rev.  L.  A.  Eaton, 
Dec.  15,  1882.  Mrs.  Maria  M.  Dean,  who  for 
the  benefit  of  her  feeble  health  had  been  con- 
strained to  leave  her  husband  alone  and  visit 
the  States  in  the  spring  of  1881,  was  on  the  eve 
of  returning  to  Siam  when  she  was  suddenly 
called  (January  16,  1883)  to  exchange  earth 
for  heaven. 

The  joy  of  those  in  the  field  at  such  a welcome 
addition  to  their  number  as  the  opening  year  had 
brought  them  was,  however,  soon  diminished. 
In  March,  only  four  months  after  his  arrival  in 
Bangkok,  Mr.  McLaren  was  snatched  away  by 
death,  to  the  great  regret  of  all,  for  he  was  a 
man  of  unusual  promise.  The  Laos  party  suf- 
fered greatly  from  sickness  after  they  reached 
Cheung  Mai.  Mr.  Hearst  was  so  prostrated  by 
malarial  fever  that  he  was  obliged  to  leave  the 
Laos  country,  and,  before  the  year  was  out,  Siam 
itself  for  China  and  Japan.  In  the  latter  coun- 
try his  health  so  greatly  improved  that  he  hopes 
to  remain  and  labor  there.  Dr.  Cheek,  Avith 
strength  exhausted  by  his  long  and  arduous 
labors,  greatly  needed  change  and  rest,  and  with 
his  family  and  Miss  Edna  Cole,  whose  health 
had  become  quite  impaired,  left  Siam  for  a visit 
to  the  United  States,  arriving  in  New  York  in 
September,  1883. 


41G 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


Rev.  Mr.  Fulton  of  the  Presbyterian  mission 
in  Canton  was  married  to  Miss  Wishard,  and 
toward  the  close  of  the  year  1883,  Mr.  Peoples 
of  Cheung  Mai  to  Miss  Wirt,  and  Miss  Luinell 
to  Mr.  S.  Gross,  a layman  in  the  employ  of  the 
Petchabnree  mission. 

The  number  of  the  communicants  reported  in 
the  four  churches  connected  with  the  Siam  mis- 
sion at  the  close  of  1882  was  148 ; in  the  five 
connected  with  the  Laos  mission,  144,  of  whom 
23  were  received  during  the  year ; total,  292. 
There  were  many  additions  to  this  number  dur- 
ing the  year  1883.  Petchabnree  especially  was 
favored  with  quite  a revival  of  interest  in  spirit- 
ual matters.  The  faithful  discipline  that  had 
been  exercised  in  the  church  there  the  year 
previous,  and  the  zealous  labors  of  Mr.  Dun- 
lap, who  returned  followed  and  upheld  by  the 
prayers  of  many  of  the  Christian  women  of 
America  whom  his  earnest  words  had  interested 
in  his  work  while  at  home,  resulted  in  the  peni- 
tential return  of  many  wanderers  and  in  the  ad- 
dition of  56  communicants  during  the  ten  months 
preceding  October  1st. 

One  more  mission  family  was  sent  out  during 
the  year  1883 — the  Rev.  Chalmers  Martin  and 
wife,  who,  embarking  for  the  East  from  New 
York  Sept.  29th,  re-embarked  in  January,  1884, 
at  Bangkok,  on  a native  river-boat  for  the  dis- 
tant station  at  Cheung  Mai. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  MISSIONS. 


417 


In  reviewing  the  liistory  of  the  mission-work 
in  the  kingdom  of  Siam  well  may  the  Christian 
Church — the  Presbyterian  Church  in  particular 
— “thank  God  and  take  courage.”  Buried  in 
the  deepest  shadows  of  heathenish  night,  it  long 
seemed  as  if  the  day  of  Siam’s  awaking  to  wel- 
come the  light  of  the  gospel  would  never  dawn. 
But  it  came  at  last.  The  Lord  had  a people 
there  whom  he  would  call  to  the  knowledge  of 
himself,  and  there  were  men  and  women  “will- 
ing to  endure  all  things  for  the  elect’s  sake,” 
assured  through  all  those  years  of  almost  utter 
barrenness  that  they  or  some  one  would  yet 
“ reap  if  they  fainted  not and  then  the  Board, 
with  everything  to  discourage  it,  never  gave  up, 
and  so  reinforcements  were  sent  out  and  new 
fields  opened  and  manned,  and  schools  for  girls 
as  well  as  boys  established  and  maintained,  and 
the  translation  of  the  Bible  carried  on  to  com- 
pletion, and  Christian  hymnals  prepared,  and 
catechisms  and  tracts,  and  the  printing-press 
kept  busy,  and  its  issues  distributed  far  and 
wide  in  city  and  hamlet,  along  the  many  rivers 
and  canals,  and  the  gospel  message  preached  in 
mission-chapels  and  idol-temples  and  by  the 
wayside,  till  now  (1884)  the  truth  has  taken 
root  in  the  land,  and  there  are  in  the  nine 
Christian  churches  in  Siam  and  Laos,  as  we 
have  seen,  more  than  three  hundred  and  fifty 
men  and  women,  once  idolaters  and  without 


418 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


hope  in  the  world,  who  know  the  true  God 
and  love  and  try  to  serve  him,  and  who  re- 
joice, as  we  do,  in  hope  of  eternal  life  through 
Jesus  Christ  his  Son. 


PART  IV. 


LAOS. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 


LAOS  LAND  AND  LIFE. 


OU  will  read  in  the  following  pages  of  a peo- 


ple about  whom  little  is  known  and  less  pub- 
lished— a people  possessing  many  qualities  of  re- 
markable attractiveness,  and  yet  having  not  a few 
strange  and  semi-barbarous  customs  and  beliefs; 
a people  who  seem  in  some  respects  to  he  pecu- 
liarly open  to  the  influence  of  Christian  teach- 
ing, and  upon  whose  soil  the  Christian  Church 
is  rooted  and  growing;  a people  among  whom 
the  Lord  fissuredly  has  “ chosen  ones  ” who  are 
hearing  his  voice  one  by  one  and  answering  to 
his  call. 

You  will  read  of  their  land,  their  homes,  their 
temples,  their  worship,  their  lives  and  occupa- 
tions. And  of  all  these  you  will  be  told  by 
those  who  have  lived  among  them,  who  have 
learned  to  know — yes,  and  to  love  them,  seeing 
the  precious  souls  within  as  the  sculi^tor  sees  the 


419 


420 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


beautiful  statue  witliiii  the  rough  block  of  mar- 
ble. 

Character  and  Government. 

Some  few  points  are  especially  to  be  noticed 
as  general  characteristics  of  the  Laos.  They  are 
a kind,  affectionate  people,  caring  much  for  their 
family-life  and  morally  superior  to  the  races 
around  them.  By  some  they  are  supj)osed  to 
be  the  original  stock  from  which  came  the  pres- 
ent Siamese  race,  but  they  have  mingled  their 
blood  with  so  many  tribes,  and  their  country  is 
divided  into  so  many  small  kingdoms  or  prov- 
inces, that  it  is  difficult  to  find  any  marked 
traces  of  a distinct  nationality  among  them. 

There  are  six  Laos  states  directly  trihutary  to 
Siam — viz.  Lakon,  Lampoon,  Cheung  Mai,  Mu- 
ang  Nan,  Hluang  Prabang  and  Muang  Prai. 
All  are  independent  of  each  other,  but  there 
are  smaller  provinces  tributary  to  these  larger 
states,  yet  the  rulers  even  of  the  minor  provinces 
are  autocratic  in  rule  within  their  own  territories. 
Each  of  the  six  larger  states  has  a first  and  sec- 
ond chief,  the  offices  being  filled  by  appointment 
of  the  king  of  Siam,  to  whom  there  is  a right  of 
appeal  on  the  part  of  the  people,  who  send  notice 
to  Bangkok  on  the  decease  of  a chief,  with  a pri- 
vate intimation  of  their  views  as  to  a successor. 
Tribute  is  paid  triennially  to  Siam  in  the  form 
of  gold  and  silver  boxes,  vases  and  jeweled  neck- 


CORONATIO>r  OF  A LAPS  KING. 


422 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


laces,  together  with  curious  gold  and  silver  trees 
valued  at  from  15/.  to  135/.  each. 

The  rulers  of  these  provinces  are  called  khiao, 
and  they  are  invested  with  their  office  by  the  use 
of  a gold  dish,  betel-box,  spittoon  and  teapot,  all 
of  which  are  sent  from  Bangkok  for  the  occa- 
sion, and  returned  thither  when  they  die  or  are 
deposed  from  the  throne. 

The  jjicture  on  the  opposite  page  represents 
the  coronation  of  the  khiao  of  one  of  the  most 
important  of  the  Laos  provinces  in  the  East. 
The  ceremony  is  thus  described  : 

“ On  the  morning  of  the  appointed  day  there 
was  an  uproar  of  drums  and  gongs  and  other  un- 
musical instruments.  The  noisy  orchestra  sur- 
rounded the  palace,  while  the  royal  procession 
wound  through  the  streets  and  defded  into  the 
s<piare  or  market-place.  Mounted  upon  an  ele- 
phant of  great  size,  which  was  armed  with  a pair 
of  formidable  tusks,  the  king  made  his  appear- 
ance, encircled  by  guards  on  foot  and  on  horse- 
back and  attended  by  his  great  dignitaries 
mounted  like  himself.  A train  of  smaller  ele- 
phants followed  carrying  the  court  ladies.  The 
cortege  finally  directed  its  course  to  some  spa- 
cious pavilions  erected  for  the  purpose,  where 
the  bonzes  of  the  royal  pagoda  were  offering  up 
their  prayers.  A few  minutes  passed,  and  an- 
other tableau  was  presented.  The  king  was  seen 
enthroned  in  the  largest  pavilion.  He  arose,  and. 


LAOS  CHARACTER  AND  GOVERNMENT.  423 


escorted  by  his  principal  officers,  advanced  into 
the  middle  of  a wide  platform,  where  the  bonzes, 
still  uttering  their  prayers,  gathered  about  him. 
He  threw  off  his  clothes,  replacing  them  by  a 
mantle  of  white  cloth.  Then  the  bonzes  drew 
apart,  so  as  to  open  up  a passage  for  him,  and 
he  proceeded  to  place  himself,  with  his  body 
bent  into  a curve,  immediately  underneath  the 
sacred  dragon.  Prayers  were  recommenced,  and 
the  king  received  the  anointing  or  consecrating 
douche,  while  a dignitary  who  stood  at  one  cor- 
ner of  the  dais  set  free  a couple  of  turtle-doves 
as  a sign  that  all  creation,  down  even  to  the  ani- 
mals, should  be  happy  on  so  auspicious  a day. 
When  the  water  which  was  contained  in  the 
dragon’s  body  had  completely  douched  the  royal 
person,  new  garments  were  brought,  over  which 
was  thrown  a large  white  robe,  and  he  returned 
to  his  place  in  the  centre  of  the  hall.  A grand 
banquet  of  rice  and  cucumbers  and  eggs  and 
pork  and  delicious  bananas,  washed  down  by 
copious  draughts  of  rice-wine,  concluded  the 
day’s  proceedings,  and  in  the  evening  the  town 
was  lighted  up  with  fireworks,  while  bands  of 
singers  and  musicians  traversed  the  streets.” 
The  whole  country  belongs  nominally  to  these 
chiefs,  who  grant  certain  districts  to  the  numer- 
ous princes  and  nobles.  These  tax  the  common 
people  heavily  — one  bucket  of  rice  for  every 
bucket  planted  — and  there  are  also  taxes  on 


424 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


pork,  fish,  betel-nuts,  bamboo  and — gambling! 
The  chiefs  appoint  an  officer  to  gather  the  taxes 
in  each  hamlet,  and  by  fair  means  or  foul  the 
uttermost  farthing  is  squeezed  out  of  the  poorer 
classes. 

The  greatest  reverence  is  paid  to  these  princes 
and  officials  by  the  people,  who  never  venture  to 
name  them  without  their  titles  in  conversation, 
and  when  in  the  presence  of  a superior  show 
their  humility  by  crouching  before  them.  A 
noble  or  wealthy  Laos  gentleman  or  lady  never 
makes  a call,  or  goes  out  for  even  a short  walk, 
without  a full  retinue  of  attendants  and  slaves 
bearing  the  betel-box,  umbrella,  water-jar,  sword, 
seal  and  other  signs  of  wealth  and  rank. 

Besides  captives  taken  in  war  and  their  de- 
scendants, there  are  great  numbei-s  of  slave- 
debtors,  under  obligation  to  serve  their  creditor 
until  they  can  repay  the  debt  incurred,  capital 
and  interest.  These  are  usually  well  treated, 
and  can  recover  freedom  at  any  time  if  the 
debt  is  discharged  by  themselves  or  a friend. 

Religious  Belief  and  Customs. 

While  the  Laos  people  are  Buddhists,  devout 
and  faithful  to  all  the  requirements  of  that  sys- 
tem, they  are  also  true  worshipers  of  nature, 
believing  in  spirits  of  earth,  air  and  water,  mak- 
ing frequent  offerings  to  these  and  having  some 
beautiful  customs  of  worship  connected  with 


RELIGIOUS  BELIEF  AND  CUSTOMS. 


425 


them.  It  would  seem  as  if  this  phase  of  their 
religious  life  grew  out  of  a sort  of  longing  in 
their  affectionate  hearts  for  sometliing  less  cold 
and  distant — something  closer  and  more  acces- 
sible to  them — than  Buddhist  teachings  could 
give,  and  that,  moved  by  this  craving,  they 
have  turned  to  the  spirit-world  with  its  unseen 
but  possibly  near  ministrations. 

A few  of  their  religious  customs  are  interest- 
ing, and  remarkable  enough  to  deserve  here 
some  special  mention.  Dr.  McGilvary  gives 
the  following  account  of  one  of  their  cere- 
monies : 

“ The  full  moon  of  the  fourth  Laos  month, 
which  usually  occurs  in  January,  witnesses  a 
strange  Laos  custom.  It  is  called  by  two  names, 
signifying  ‘The  Warming  of  Buddh’  and  the 
‘ Offering  of  New  Kow  Lam  ’ to  the  priests. 
About  daylight  on  the  morning  of  the  full 
moon  bonfires  are  kindled  in  the  temple-grounds, 
at  which  are  assembled  a larger  number  than 
usual  of  worshipers.  It  is  the  cool  season  of  the 
year,  when  the  mornings  are  uncomfortably  cold, 
but  no  one  dares  to  warm  himself  by  the  bonfires 
on  that  morning.  They  are  sacred  to  Buddh, 
and  are  kindled  for  his  special  benefit,  and  he, 
too,  is  presumed  to  be  cold.  When  the  fires  are 
lighted,  incense-tapers  are  taken  by  the  priests, 
who  go  inside  of  the  temple  and  prostrate  them- 
selves before  the  idols,  and  invite  them  to  come 


426 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


out  and  be  wanned  by  the  sacred  fires.  It  is  a 
sham  invitation,  however,  as  they  are  not  carried 
out,  and  they  cannot  of  course  come  out  them- 
selves. 

“ It  shows  the  inconsistent,  incoherent  and 
contradictory  notions  that  a false  religion  fos- 
ters. If  Buddh  is  a god,  why  should  he  be  cold 
at  all  ? Or  if  cold,  why  can’t  he  warm  himself? 
Or  why  cold  on  that  morning?  Or  does  the  heat 
of  the  little  bonfires  continue  during  the  whole 
cool  season  ? And  how  does  it  consist  with 
Buddh’s  annihilation  ? According  to  theory, 
he  has  attained  Nipan,  a state  of  utter  uncon- 
sciousness of  either  happiness  or  misery.  How, 
then,  can  he  feel  the  sensation  of  cold  ? Or  if 
he  does,  and  can’t  warm  himself,  how  can  he  be 
a refuge  to  others  ? 

“ We  presume  that  the  real  explanation  of  the 
custom,  however,  may  be  sought  from  the  second 
name  mentioned  above,  and  that  the  important 
part  of  the  ceremony  is  the  Kow  Lam  that  fol- 
lows. That  is  glutinous  rice,  on  which  the  Laos 
principally  live,  put  in  joints  of  the  bamboo  and 
roasted  over  a fire  till  it  is  done.  It  is  very  pal- 
atable, and  on  this  morning  must  always  be  made 
of  the  first-fruits  of  the  new  rice-crop.  They 
feast  on  it  then  for  a number  of  days.  Every 
religious  ceremony  has  its  appropriate  offerings 
to  the  priests,  and  this  one,  like  the  others,  fills 
them  with  good  things,  and  it  matters  but  little 


EELIGIOUS  BELIEF  AND  CUSTOMS.  427 


then  whether  Buddh  remains  cold  or  becomes 
hot.” 

The  Rev.  J.  Wilson  thus  tells  of  an  appeal  to 
the  gods  in  time  of  drought : 

“ Many  of  the  people  are  almost  in  a panic 
from  the  scarcity  of  rice.  A year  ago  there  was 
very  little  rain  in  the  first  part  of  the  season,  but 
the  latter  rain  was  so  abundant  as  to  overflow  the 
fields  to  such  a depth  as  to  drown  the  rice.  Con- 
sequently, the  main  crop  of  the  year  proved  an 
entire  failure.  Rice  has  been  and  is  now  very 
dear,  so  that  many  of  the  j)oor  have  great  diffi- 
culty in  obtaining  a sufficiency  to  support  life. 
From  the  king  down  to  the  owner  of  the  small- 
est patch  of  ground,  all  have  been  earnestly 
engaged  in  trying  to  call  down  the  rain.  The 
king,  with  his  retinue  of  princes  and  servants, 
has  ascended  the  mountain  that  lies  some  three 
miles  west  of  the  city  to  drench  with  water  the 
pagoda  and  the  principal  idols  of  a temple  that 
stands  upon  one  of  the  mountain’s  peaks.  Only 
a few  days  ago  a procession  of  one  hundred 
priests  climl^ed  the  mountain  for  a similar  ser- 
vice. The  temples  of  Buddh,  especially  on  the 
sacred  days,  are  vocal  with  the  sound  of  drums 
and  the  incantations  of  the  worshipers  who  have 
brought  their  offerings  to  the  idols  to  buy  rain 
with  merit.  The  execution  of  some  convicts  was 
hastened  as  a propitiatory  sacrifice  to  the  rain- 
producing  powers.” 


428 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


At  another  time,  when  the  season  had  been 
favorable,  the  thanksgiving  is  described  by  the 
same  hand,  as  follows : 

“ The  rice-crop  this  year  is  a bountiful  one, 
and  the  people  are  rejoicing  over  it.  The  second 
king  came  in  from  the  country  on  Sabbath  morn- 
ing. He  had  been  out  in  his  fields  threshing  his 
rice.  Returning,  he  arranged  for  the  yearly  pro- 
cession that  is  made  at  the  close  of  the  harvest. 
The  first  gong  had  rung  for  our  religious  service 
just  as  the  procession  reached  the  lower  com- 
pound. The  noise  of  bells  on  the  elephants  and 
the  chanting  of  the  riders,  together  with  the 
music  made  hy  the  king’s  band,  made  it  neces- 
sary for  us  to  delay  the  ringing  of  the  second 
gong  until  after  the  procession  had  passed.  I 
had  not  supposed  it  was  to  be  so  great  an  affair. 
A large  number  of  elephants  had  passed  before 
I began  to  count,  but  I counted  one  hundred  and 
ten  as  they  passed  along  one  by  one.  I was  told 
there  were  one  hundred  and  seventy  in  the  pro- 
cession. One  of  the  largest  wore  trappings  of 
the  brightest  silver.  The  howdahs  contained 
rice.  All  these  were  decorated  with  green 
branches.  The  procession  was  in  honor  of  the 
guardian  spirits  that  preside  over  the  rice-crop. 
Those  that  could  see  the  procession  in  its  whole 
length  considered  it  the  most  imposing  one  that 
has  passed  for  years. 

“About  six  weeks — including  parts  of  March 


A.  T.AOS  FUNERAL. 


430 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


and  April — are  annually  given  up  almost  wholly 
to  idolatrous  worship,  much  of  which  consists  in 
efforts  to  propitiate  spirits.  The  spirit  of  the 
river  upon  which  most  of  their  commerce  is 
carried  on  is  propitiated  by  a floral  offering. 
Tiny  boats  are  filled  with  the  choicest  flowers, 
carried  to  the  river’s  edge,  and  tapers  arranged 
by  which  to  illuminate  the  little  barks.  At  a 
certain  hour  after  dark  a signal  is  given,  and 
simultaneously  thousands  of  these  little  boats  are 
launched  and  go  sailing  down  the  stream.  Aside 
from  its  being  an  act  of  idolatry,  it  is  a most  bril- 
liant and  beautiful  siojht  and  one  that  excites  our 
highest  admiration.” 

In  Laos,  when  a person  dies,  a precious  stone 
or  coin  is  sometimes  placed  in  the  mouth  of  the 
corpse  to  pay  the  spirit-fine  into  the  next  world. 
Afterward  the  body  is  cremated  with  ceremonies 
similar  to  those  of  Siam.  Men  are  laid  with 
faces  downward,  and  women  on  their  backs,  for 
cremation.  When  a chief  dies,  men  are  hired  to 
engage  in  a pugilistic  encounter  in  honor  of  the 
event. 


Merit-Making. 

It  has  been  frequently  stated  in  the  last  few 
years  that  no  new  temples  are  built  in  heathen 
lands,  the  old  crumbling  ones  being  merely 
patched  up  for  temporary  use,  if  not  allowed  to 
fall  into  absolute  ruin.  But  the  testimony  of 


MERIT-MAKING. 


431 


missionaries,  who  see  much  more  of  these  things 
than  do  passing  travelers,  does  not  bear  out  this 
statement.  As  evidence  of  the  zeal  and  activity 
with  which  an  old  temple  is  sometimes  restored 
and  a new  one  planned  when  merit  is  to  be  made 
thereby,  the  following  is  given  : 

“ The  princes  and  people  of  Cheung  Mai  are 
all  astir  in  the  work  of  merit-making.  Just  now 
it  takes  the  form  of  rebuilding  the  finest  temple 
that  was  erected  in  Cheung  Mai,  and  in  gather- 
ing and  shaping  materials  for  the  replacing,  three 
or  four  months  hence,  of  the  temple  on  the  top 
of  the  mountain  with  a new  structure.  All  the 
sawyers  of  the  city  are  on  duty.  Priests  and 
people  are  busy  with  saw  and  chisel  and  adze 
and  plane.  The  large  public  courtyard  is  full 
of  timber  and  workmen.  A new  king  has  come 
upon  the  throne,  and  the  way  to  a long  and  suc- 
cessful reign  must  be  sought  in  the  building  of 
these  new  memorials  to  Buddha.  How  strange 
and  how  sad  it  all  seems ! But  the  people  are 
not  sad.  For  while  their  hands  are  busy  their 
tongues  are  busy  too,  and  the  frequent  merry 
laugh  tells  of  the  joyous  heart.  They  boast 
themselves  in  their  work.  The  chief  priests  of 
the  temples  are  there — one  time  passing  among 
the  workmen  giving  directions,  then  seated  in 
groups  upon  their  mats,  spread  sometimes  in  the 
large  sala,  and  sometimes  on  the  green  sward, 
under  the  shelter  of  the  bamboo  matting  and  the 


432 


67.13/  Ayn  LAOS. 


leaf-awn  ill gs  that  have  been  stretched  above  the 
workmen.  They  are  treated  by  all  with  the 
greatest  reverence.  The  day  is  theirs,  for  in 
every  honor  shown  to  Buddha  they  have  a 
share.  Every  day  does  the  king  come  from 
his  palace  to  inspect  the  work  and  to  testify 
his  interest  in  it.  His  highest  noblemen,  and 
even  princes,  consider  it  a privilege  and  an 
honor  to  help  to  frame  the  timbers  for  these 
temples.  And  so  the  work  goes  on,  and  Buddha 
is  remembered. 

“Yesterday  I passed  through  the  temple  that 
is  so  soon  to  be  refitted.  The  walls  of  the  old 
building  had  been  taken  down  and  removed. 
The  foundation  of  the  floor  still  remained.  The 
principal  idols  were  occupying  their  old  places. 
The  smaller  ones  were  sitting  in  groups  under 
the  shade  of  the  trees.  The  larger  ones  cannot 
be  removed,  but  have  been  covered  with  split 
bamboo  to  prevent  injury  while  the  building  is 
going  up.  The  smaller  ones  are  waiting  patient- 
ly until  the  temple  is  completed  and  they  are 
carried  back  to  their  places. 

“The  building  just  removed  was  put  up  nearly 
a hundred  years  ago,  and  with  occasional  patch- 
ing has  lasted  until  now.  And  Avhat  will  be  the 
history  of  the  new  one?  Will  Buddhists  wor- 
ship their  idols  there  a hundred  years  to  come  ? 
Will  the  darkness  abide  so  long  in  the  Laos  land? 
Or  shall  it  have  crumbled  into  ruins  and  temples 


LAOS  LANGUAGE. 


433 


for  the  worship  of  the  living  God  have  risen  up 
around  it?” 

Another  of  their  innumerable  ways  of  making 
merit  is  mentioned  by  Dr.  McGilvary : 

“We  visited  a great  cave  at  Cheung  Dow  that 
forms  the  subject  of  one  of  their  sacred  books. 
It  had  never  been  examined  beyond  a certain 
stream  of  water  believed  to  be  impassable.  But 
if  any  one  had  merit  enough  to  cross,  tliere 
would  be  found  an  idol  ten  feet  high  of  solid 
gold  with  golden  vestments  in  which  to  visit  the 
city  of  the  Yaks,  which  was  still  farther  in. 
There,  too,  was  the  seat  of  Chow  Kam  Daang, 
one  of  their  greatest  spirits.  As  it  was  not  so 
convenient  for  me  to  cross  the  water — which  was 
not  a deep  stream,  however — I had  Nan  Intah 
cross  it,  and  still  another  little  pond  of  water, 
with  no  signs,  of  course,  of  the  golden  idol  or  the 
city  of  Yak,  which  was  our  main  object  in  visit- 
ing the  cave.  The  cave  is  nevertheless  a fine 
one,  and  in  itself  worthy  of  a visit.” 

Language. 

Although  the  Laos  understand  the  Siamese 
spoken  languages,  and  many  of  them  can  read 
the  written  characters  also,  the  mass  of  the  people 
are  unable  to  do  the  latter.  Hence  it  is  a matter 
of  great  interest  and  importance  to  give  them  the 
Bible  and  other  books  in  the  Laos  tongue.  Funds 
were  collected  in  America  some  years  ago,  by  the 
28 


434 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


Women’s  Foreign  Missionary  Society  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church,  for  the  purpose  of  making  the 
type  and  having  the  Laos  Bible  printed.  There 
has  been  delay  in  the  full  accomplishment  of  this 
object,  owing  to  the  absence  from  the  country  of 
some  of  the  few  missionaries  who  could  superin- 
tend it,  and  because  also  of  some  unexpected  dif- 
ficulties in  the  way;  but  it  is  believed  now  that 
the  work  will  very  soon  be  done,  and  the  people 
be  supplied  with  the  Bible  in  their  own  tongue. 
They  are  themselves  eager  to  read  and  quick  to 
learn. 


Cheung  Mai. 

The  Laos  capital  is  a walled  city  a mile  square 
and  surrounded  by  a moat,  situated  on  the  Ma- 
])ing  Biver,  one  of  the  chief  branches  of  the  Me- 
nam.  Little  hamlets  of  bamboo  houses  usually 
make  up  the  towns  of  the  Laos  country,  but 
Cheung  Mai  has  a brick  wall  around  it,  and  is 
much  more  of  a city  in  size  and  apj)earance. 
The  following  description  of  the  view  from  the 
mission-house  near  by  will  give  an  idea  of  the 
city  and  surrounding  objects : 

“ From  the  veranda  or  through  the  open  door 
we  can  see  the  stream  gliding  by  in  graceful  si- 
lence, the  native  boats  passing  up  and  down ; the 
farther  bank  with  its  smiling  groves  and  houses 
half  hidden  between ; farther  out,  on  the  plain, 
a widespreading  forest  of  palm  and  other  trees. 


CHEUNG  MAI. 


435 


whose  towering  tops  tell  us  the  site  and  limits  of 
Cheung  Mai  surrounded  by  its  high  and' massive 
wall  of  brick.  Beyond  and  over  the  top  of  this 
city  arose  that  grand  old  mountain,  Doi  Su  Tape, 
ever  beautiful,  ever  changing  in  its  beauty. 

“ Were  I an  expert  at  the  pencil,  I might  send 
you  some  time  a landscape  of  river,  plain  and 
mountain  superior  to  many  that  are  esteemed  by 
the  true  artist  as  gems  of  the  beautiful  and  pic- 
turesque. It  is  our  privilege  to  look  uj)on  this 
landscape  of  varied  beauty  every  day.  For  a 
week  or  more  we  were  shut  in,  native  style, 
at  every  point  of  the  compass  by  a luxuriant 
growth  of  tamarind,  bamboo,  and  garden  shrub- 
bery. It  is  thus  that  the  native  houses,  which 
generally  stand  back  a distance  from  the  river- 
pathway, are  sometimes  entirely  concealed  by  the 
dark-green  foliage  of  the  gardens.  In  front  of 
our  premises  a number  of  tamarind  trees  stand 
in  all  the  carelessness  of  the  primeval  forest. 
Some  of  them  clutch  the  bank  with  their  great 
roots,  a part  of  which  have  been  washed  bare 
by  the  stream  when  at  its  height.  Their  wide- 
spread branches  intercepted  our  view  of  the  river 
and  mountain  and  kept  out  the  cooling  breeze. 
But  the  axe,  by  lopping  and  pruning,  soon  gave 
scope  to  the  eye  and  ingress  to  the  healing  wind.” 

This  principal  mission-station  is  on  the  right 
bank  of  the  river.  On  the  left  bank,  near  the 
bridge,  is  Dr.  Cheek’s  compound,  on  the  city  side 


436 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


— the  gift  of  the  chief  of  Cheung  Mai  to  the  mis- 
sionary-physician, who  is  consulted  by  the  royal 
family  in  sickness. 

Through  the  gate  that  leads  from  the  public 
road  to  Dr.  Cheek’s  dispensary  a steady  stream 
of  Laos  men,  women  and  children,  rich  and  poor, 
passes  to  and  fro.  “His  name  is  a synonym,”  says 
a traveler*  who  recently  visited  Cheung  Mai,  “ of 
all  that  is  good  and  kind  throughout  the  district, 
he  having  relieved  the  sufferings  and  saved  the 
lives  of  hundreds  of  natives,  and  thereby  earned 
their  warm  gratitude.  Adjoining  his  house  he 
has  erected  a long  bamboo  shed,  subdivided  into 
a number  of  small  apartments,  which  serve  as  the 
wards  of  a hospital.  Here  he  has  performed 
hundreds  of  operations  with  such  skill  and  such 
success  that  even  the  superstitious  Laotians  come 
from  long  distances  to  be  cured  by  him  when  suf- 
fering from  painful  diseases  or  severe  wounds. 
The  chiefs  and  princes  often  send  for  him  when 
their  reliance  upon  the  superstitious  rites  of  the 
native  ‘ faculty’  begins  to  fail  them,  though,  in 
such  cases,  his  advice  has  often  been  only  asked 
when  the  patients  have  been  in  extremis.  Tw'O 
or  three  years  ago  he  saved  the  life  of  the  chief’s 
wife  when  all  the  drugs  and  incantations  of  sev- 
eral native  medicos  had  been  called  into  requisi- 
tion in  vain. 

“ Dr.  Cheek  has  also  established  a boat-build- 
* Carl  Bock. 


CHEUNG  MAI. 


437 


ing  yard,  where  he  gives  employment  to  a large 
number  of  men,  and  where  he  has  introduced 
improved  models  of  boats  and  better  modes  of 
construction.  American  tools  have  been  intro- 
duced, and  are  gradually  superseding  the  primi- 
tive adzes  and  saws  of  the  natives.” 

The  same  traveler  describes  the  palace  of  the 
chief  of  Cheung  Mai  as  “ a mixture  of  Chinese 
and  Laos  architecture.  Along  the  whole  front 
extended  a long,  open  room,  partially  furnished 
with  European  furniture,  the  only  article  of 
native  workmanship  a large  gilt  state-chair  or 
throne  reserved  for  the  use  of  the  head-priest 
when  he  came  to  visit  the  chief.” 

The  palace  itself  and  the  court-life  within  are 
characterized  hy  great  simplicity,  the  king,  “ an 
old  man,  tall  of  stature,  but  slightly  stooping  be- 
neath his  load  of  sixty-four  years,”  usually  spend- 
ing much  of  his  time  in  mechanical  work,  of 
which  he  is  fond,  and  the  queen  sharing  with 
him  in  the  transaction  of  state  business.  The 
present  queen  is  a woman  of  remarkable  intelli- 
gence, and  exercises  a predominant  influence  in 
the  government,  “ by  virtue,”  says  a missionary, 
“of  her  exceptional  feminine  tact.” 

Cheung  Mai  has  a large  market,  which  is  very 
neat  and  orderly.  It  is  kept  by  women,  who  seat 
themselves  on  the  ground,  Avith  vegetables,  fruits 
and  confectionery  deposited  on  plantain-leaves 
or  in  little  baskets  made  by  themselves.  While 


438 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


not  trading  they  work  on  embroidery  used  in 
ornamentation.  Formerly,  salt  was  the  market 
currency,  and  so  seldom  was  money  used  that 
the  owners  of  the  articles  often  did  not  know  the 
value  of  them  in  money,  but  could  readily  tell  if 
asked  how  much  salt  they  would  take.  The  oc- 
casion of  this  was  that  all  their  salt  came  from  a 
great  distance  and  was  very  precious  in  Cheung 
Mai.  Within  a few  years  the  Siamese  govern- 
ment has  sent  small  coin  to  take  the  place  of  salt 
as  a currency.  The  people  were  much  confused 
for  a while  by  the  change,  and  circulated  them 
reluctantly.  Some  were  even  imprisoned  for 
persisting  in  taking  salt  to  market  to  make  their 
purchases. 

The  principal  articles  for  sale  are  provisions, 
fruits,  tobacco,  betel-nut,  fish,  mushrooms,  wax, 
cotton,  earthenware  and  flowers.  The  pork-stalls 
are  kept  by  men,  and  there  are  some  Chinese 
sheds  where  cotton  goods,  brass  and  wooden  trays 
and  Burmese  lacquer-ware  are  sold.  There  are 
a large  number  of  temples  in  the  city,  among 
others  the  new  Wat  Hluang,  or  royal  temple, 
recently  built  on  the  site  of  a very  old  one. 

Homes  and  Daily  Life. 

There  are  no  fine  houses  or  palaces  for  the 
most  part  in  Laos,  princes  and  peasants  building 
on  much  the  same  general  plan ; the  size  and 
quality  of  material  and  workmanship  are  the 


LAOS  HOMES  AND  DAILY  LIFE. 


439 


main  difference.  The  thatched  roofs  are  cheap 
and  easily  replaced,  and  those  of  teak  tiles, 
though  more  durable,  afford  no  better  protec- 
tion from  suii  and  rain.  One-story  high  and 
raised  on  posts  from  six  to  eight  feet  above  the 
ground,  a short  flight  of  rude  steps  leads  to  the 
balcony  which  runs  around  the  dwelling.  The 
flooring  is  usually  of  bamboo  or  teak,  and  on  one 
side  of  the  veranda,  protected  by  a covered  shed, 
stand  the  large  water-jars,  with  a cocoanut  dipper 
near.  This  entrance-platform  is  generally  orna- 
mented by  pots  of  orchids  and  other  flowering 
plants.  Here  in  dirty  weather,  before  entering 
the  house,  the  jjolite  guest  pauses  to  pour  water 
over  his  feet.  Here  too  the  princes  and  other 
inmates,  too  indolent  to  walk  down  to  the  river, 
are  accustomed  to  take  a morning  and  evening 
bath  by  pouring  water  over  themselves  with  the 
dipper. 

Underneath  the  dwellings  is  a general  recepta- 
cle for  howdahs,  gardening  utensils,  etc.,  which 
at  night  is  often  used  as  a cattle-shed. 

The  furniture  is  very  simple.  Mats  and  cush- 
ions are  piled  in  a corner  ready  for  use,  the  best 
cushions  being  three-sided  with  embroidered 
ends.  Home-made  mattresses  stuffed  with  cot- 
ton ; mosquito  curtains ; generally  a native 
cradle  swinging  from  the  beam  overhead ; a 
few  pots,  pans,  baskets,  cocoanut-shell  dippers 
and  spoons ; a flat  vessel  or  saucer  for  the  pork- 


440 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


fat  or  oil  which,  with  a hit  of  cotton  wick,  fur- 
nishes the  only  artificial  light, — would  probably 
nearly  exhaust  the  list.  At  meal-times,  about 
seven  in  the  morning  and  toward  sunset,  the 
family-circle  gathers  around  a lacquer  or  brass 
tray  on  which  are  placed  small  bowls  of  fish  or 
pork,  bamboo-shoots,  vegetables  and  curry,  the 
steamed  rice  being  served  separately  to  each 
person  in  a small  basket,  Tliey  sit  upon  the 
floor  or  mats ; plates,  forks  and  knives  are  for 
the  most  part  unknown.  Among  the  very  poor 
the  plantain-leaf  takes  even  the  place  of  bowls 
and  saves  all  dish-washing. 

Every  house  has  its  native  loom,  and  the  gar- 
ments are  for  the  most  part  homespun.  Cotton 
is  very  plentiful  and  cheap  in  Laos,  and  native 
dyes  are  used.  The  women,  rich  and  poor 
alike,  spend  much  time  in  making  garments 
for  the  priests.  Some  of  the  well-to-do  and  the 
slaves  of  the  nobility  are  skilled  in  embroidery. 
The  native  silk  fabrics  are  also  woven  on  the 
loom,  cocoons  of  the  wild  silkworm  being  col- 
lected. The  favorite  colors  are  dark-blue,  orange, 
maroon  and  a reddish-brown.  Princesses  use  this 
silk  interwoven  with  gold  thread. 

Each  district  seems  to  have  its  own  local  head- 
covering, the  most  common  being  a large  flat  of 
palm-leaves  sewn  together.  A straight,  scant, 
horizontally-striped  petticoat  in  blue  and  yellow, 
with  a body-scarf  or  shawl  worn  in  various  ways. 


LAOS  WORKMANSHIP. 


411 


or  a tight-fitting  jacket,  constitutes  the  not  un- 
graceful costume  of  a Laos  woman ; her  hair, 
being  drawn  back,  is  fastened  in  a neat  knot  by 
a gold  pin  and  is  almost  invariably  ornamented 
with  flowers. 

The  body  of  the  men  of  Western  Laos  is  usu- 
ally covered  with  tattoo-marks  of  different  ani- 
mals and  emblematic  monsters.  These  figures 
are  usually  first  sketched  by  the  professional 
tattooer  from  the  waist  to  the  knees — monkeys, 
bats,  rats,  birds  and  so-forth ; then  the  skin  is 
punctured  with  a sharp-pointed  steel  instrument, 
and  an  indelible  black  pigment  is  well  rubbed 
in.  The  dress  of  the  ordinary  man  consists  of 
little  more  than  the  waist-cloth,  but  the  young 
noblemen  are  adopting  the  Siamese  court-cos- 
tume. Formerly,  all  went  bare-footed,  but 
buffalo-hide  sandals  are  now  much  used.  Both 
men  and  women  are  passionately  fond  of  flowers. 
The  ear-lobes  are  bored  when  very  young  and 
stretched  with  pieces  of  wood,  ivory  and  metal, 
and  the  men  almost  invariably  carry  a flower  in 
this  hole ; cigars  and  other  articles  are  fastened 
behind  the  ear.  Large  ears  are  regarded  with 
favor  as  a sign  of  longevity. 

Laos  Woekmaxship. 

Scattered  over  Laos-land  are  brick-fields  and 
pottery-works,  where  the  native  earthenware, 
water-jars  and  other  household  utensils  are 


442 


HI  AM  AND  LAOS. 


made.  The  earthenware  oven  used  by  the  Laos 
is  in  the  shape  of  a boot,  the  opening  at  the 
top  holding  the  pot,  while  the  upper  part  of  the 
shoe  is  cut  away  for  the  grate.  Wood  is  burned 
within.  These  ovens  are  very  cheap,  but  break 
easily. 

Wood-carving  is  also  much  practiced  in  Laos, 
and  much  technical  artistic  skill  is  displayed  in 
the  carved  scroll-work  for  doors,  posts  and  house- 
hold utensils. 

The  valuable  native  varnish  called  rack  is  res- 
in collected  from  the  trunk  of  a special  tree  in 
Laos.  This  black  lacquer  is  a monopoly  and  little 
exported,  being  used  in  preparing  the  temples 
and  idols  for  their  covering  of  paint  and  gold- 
leaf.  It  dries  slowly  in  spite  of  the  hot  climate, 
but  gives  in  the  end  a perfectly  smooth,  hard 
surface  unaffected  by  dampness.  The  manufac- 
ture of  lacquer- ware  is  carried  on  in  all  parts  of 
the  country.  First-class  workers  are  found  in 
almost  every  hamlet.  The  foundation  is  made  of 
woven  bamboo  strips  coated  thickly  with  rack. 
This  is  polished  with  the  common  Laos  substi- 
tute for  sand-paper — rice-husks  and  water.  Then 
a pattern  is  drawn  with  a style  and  the  article 
finished  with  coats  of  red  and  brown  paint.  Many 
household  utensils  are  lacquer-ware,  and  some  of 
the  designs  are  really  well  executed.  The  price 
varies  with  the  quality  of  the  workmanship. 

The  Laos  are  also  skilled  in  the  manufacture 


OCCUPATIONS  IN  LAOS. 


448 


of  silver-ware.  Each  village  has  usually  one  or 
more  native  artists  engaged  in  executing  orders 
for  the  princes  and  wealthy  classes.  The  modus 
operandi  is  primitive,  and  the  work  lacks  finish, 
but  the  general  effect  is  bold  and  pleasing.  A 
thin  plate  of  the  right  shape  is  filled  with  a 
composition  of  wax  and  resin.  The  patterns 
are  from  memory,  usually  a medley  of  mythical 
birds  and  beasts,  and  the  design  is  hammered 
out  with  a style  and  sort  of  blunt  chisel,  the 
plastic  filling  yielding  readily  to  each  blow ; the 
figures  and  scroll-work  stand  out  in  high  relief. 
The  value  of  articles  is  determined  by  the  weight, 
with  fifty  per  cent,  added  for  labor. 

Occupations. 

Life  in  Laos  is  exceedingly  monotonous.  The 
women  do  much  of  the  hard  work  in  the  field  as 
well  as  in  the  household.  During  the  dry,  cool 
season,  from  November  to  May,  even  the  trees 
and  grass  seem  dried  up  and  lifeless,  only  the 
orchids  showing  any  signs  of  vitality.  Heavy 
thunder-  and  hail-storms  in  May  often  herald 
the  opening  of  the  rainy  season.  Then  all 
nature  takes  a fresh  start : the  rice  is  planted ; 
new  leaves  shoot  out ; the  heat  becomes  intense ; 
vegetation  is  almost  spontaneous.  After  plant- 
ing, only  a very  little  labor  is  needed  to  secure 
a good  harvest  in  a favorable  season.  Both  buffa- 
loes and  oxen  are  used  for  ploughing,  and  are 


444 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


guided  by  reins  attached  to  the  noses  of  the  ani- 
mals. Elephants  abound,  and  are  also  employed 
as  beasts  of  burden,  especially  in  the  wood-yards. 
Carts  are  few,  and  the  rude  native  ones  some- 
times used  to  transport  rice  are  drawn  by  men. 
The  paddy-granaries  are  simple,  huge  barrel- 
shaped bamboo  baskets,  plastered  to  keep  out 
mice  and  insects. 

There  are  few  amusements.  Men,  women  and 
children  are  adepts  in  fishing,  and  thus  provide 
food  for  the  household.  The  chase  is  sport 
little  indulged  in  by  the  lower  classes,  with  the 
exception  of  professional  tiger-hunters.  Two  or 
three  times  a year  grand  hunting-expeditions  are 
organized  by  the  principal  chiefs  and  cause  much 
excitement. 

The  habits  of  social  and  domestic  life  among 
the  Laos  j)resent  some  striking  contrasts  to  those 
of  most  heathen  nations.  Women  are  kindly 
treated,  and  even  honored  by  special  favor  and 
consideration  in  cases  of  litigation  with  men. 
The  baby-daughter  is  cared  for  as  tenderly  as 
the  little  son,  and  child-marriage  is  unknown, 
while  old  age  is  respected  and  watched  over. 
Marriage  is  not  as  much  a matter  of  trade  as 
it  usually  is  among  heathen  people,  and  divorce 
is  less  common  and  more  governed  by  just  and 
humane  laws.  Their  treatment  of  the  sick  is 
absurd  in  the  extreme,  so  far  as  true  care  and 
healing  are  concerned  (as  will  appear  in  the 


TRAVELING  IN  LAOS. 


445 


chapter  on  that  subject),  but  their  iuteiition 
seems  to  be  to  do  for  their  suffering  ones  all 
that  their  limited  knowledge  and  superstitious 
beliefs  allow. 

Traveling. 

The  great  need  of  Laos  is  a better  outlet  for 
trade.  At  present  these  little  kingdoms  are  prac- 
tically shut  in  from  the  outside  nations.  There 
are  parts  of  this  country  which  can  only  be 
reached  by  elephant-traveling,  so  dense  are  the 
jungles  and  so  difficult  the  passage.  Missionaries 
laboring  here  are  more  isolated  from  the  rest  of 
the  world  than  at  most  stations,  as  will  appear 
from  the  following  statements : There  is  no  es- 
tablished line  of  boats  going  and  coming,  as  upon 
our  own  waters,  but  all  transporting  is  done  by 
private  individuals,  and  is  only  an  occasional  or 
incidental  occurrence.  For  this  reason  our  in- 
land missionaries  have  to  wait  sometimes  from 
three  to  five  months  before  receiving  any  mail- 
matter  from  Bangkok,  and  in  one  instance 
Cheung  Mai  had  no  mail  for  eight  mouths. 
At  Rahang  gentlemen  may  leave  the  river  and 
complete  the  journey  to  Cheung  Mai  by  elephant, 
but  ladies  could  not  endure  the  ride,  it  is  such  a 
very  tiresome  mode  of  travel.  The  elephant  is 
a faithful  and  indispensable  servant  in  that 
land  of  mountains.  All  overland  transportation 
throughout  Laos  is  carried  on  by  means  of  ele- 
phants and  oxen.  Large  droves  of  oxen  are 


446 


SIAM  AXD  LAOS. 


frequently  seen  traveling  single  file  behind  a 
leader  decked  with  a mask  fancifully  made  out 
of  shells  covering  his  whole  face,  while  from  be- 
tween his  horns  a large  peacock  tail  rises  and 
sweeps  gracefully,  though  comically,  over  his 
back.  Each  ox  is  laden  with  an  immense  pair 
of  baskets  thrown  over  saddle-bag  fashion,  and 
in  these  are  placed  the  articles  for  transportation. 
Sometimes  every  ox  is  covered  nearly  all  over 
with  strings  of  little  bells,  which  add  some  life 
to  the  scene.  The  peddlers  from  the  north  do  a 
large  trade  with  Siam  and  Laos,  and  the  Shan 
caravans  are  almost  entirely  composed  of  these 
oxen,  which  give  warning  of  their  approach  by  a 
musical  sound  of  tinkling;  bells  echoing;  throimh 
the  forest  glades  and  from  the  steep  mountain- 
sides. The  object  of  the  mask  upon  the  leader 
is  to  protect  the  caravan  from  the  assaults  of  evil 
spirits.  The  Yunnan  caravans  are  composed  of 
small  ponies  and  mules.  To  prevent  delay  from 
grazing  along  the  road,  a ratan  muzzle  is  pro- 
vided. Elephants  also  are  decorated  with  bells 
to  give  notice  of  their  approach  to  caravans  com- 
ing from  an  opposite  direction.  As  they  tramp 
steadily  along  they  regale  themselves  with  the 
tender  shoots  of  overhanging  trees.  When  cross- 
ing a stream  they  generally  take  a trunkful  of 
water  whether  thirsty  or  not. 

Official  passports  are  curious  documents,  con- 
sisting of  long  narrow  strips  of  palm-leaf  coiled 


TRAVELING  IN  LAOS. 


4i7 


into  a ring,  and  at  each  end  is  an  embossed 
stamp.  This  stamp  determines  the  real  weight 
of  the  document,  and  is  the  first  point  exam- 
ined before  reading  the  order.  These  leaves 
are  almost  imperishable,  being  tough  and  en- 
tirely unaffected  by  water,  and  for  such  a pur- 
pose are  superior  to  paper.  When  the  writing 
grows  indistinct  it  is  easily  made  legible  by 
wetting  the  finger  and  rubbing  it  over  the  leaf, 
thus  cleansing  the  smooth  surface  and  filling 
the  scratches  Avith  a thin  film  of  dirt.  Such  a 
passport  frequently  includes  an  order  to  infe- 
rior officials  to  furnish  the  traveler  with  the 
necessary  elephants  for  his  journey.  Through- 
out Laos  Avritten  official  documents  are  almost 
invariably  thus  scratched  Avith  a style  on  a strip 
of  palm-leaf. 

The  enormous  number  of  Avild  elephants  in 
the  forests  and  domesticated  elephants  in  the 
tOAvns  strikes  one  Avith  amazement.  Tigers, 
deer,  Avild  hogs,  pea-foAvls  and  jungle-chickens 
also  abound  in  the  forests;  Avhile  dogs,  cats, 
croAvs  and  lizards  are  among  the  domesticated 
pets.  The  country  is  rich,  not  only  in  valua- 
ble timber,  but  in  minerals.  The  opening  up 
of  the  market  by  railroad  Avould  result  in  im- 
mediate profit,  bringing  down  the  Laos  products 
and  taking  back  in  exchange  English  and  Amer- 
ican manufactures,  for  which  a large  and  increas- 
ing demand  Avould  be  readily  created. 


448 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


Laos  Oil  and  Wine. 

Cocoa  and  betel-nut  trees  abound  in  Cheung 
Mai.  Oil  is  made  from  the  former,  and  the  lat- 
ter produces  an  article  of  commerce. 

Laotians  have  their  wine  as  well  as  more  civil- 
ized nations,  but  they  get  it  from  a tree  instead 
of  a vine.  A party  of  friends  who  were  travel- 
ing near  Lakon  in  returning  from  a walk  in  the 
environs  encountered  some  Laotians  carrying  ves- 
sels of  bamboo  filled  with  a liquid  which  at  first 
they  supposed  to  be  water.  On  tasting  it,  how- 
ever, they  discovered  that  it  was  the  wine  of  the 
country,  sweet-flavored  and  by  no  means  dis- 
agreeable to  the  palate — not  unlike,  indeed,  the 
j)roduct  of  some  of  the  Rhenish  vineyards.  It 
was  palm  wine,  freshly  made.  It  will  not  keep 
more  than  four-and-twenty  hours  without  fer- 
mentation. The  Laotians  offered  to  conduct  the 
strangers  to  a neighboring  plantation,  where  they 
might  observe  the  different  processes  of  its  manu- 
facture. The  offer  was  accepted,  and  the  party 
soon  arrived  at  a clearing  which  was  thickly 
planted  with  great  borassus  palms.  To  collect 
the  wine — which  is,  in  fact,  the  sap  of  the  tree — 
nothing  more  is  necessary  than  to  make  an  in- 
cision in  the  middle  of  the  head  of  the  tree  at  the 
point  where  the  leaves  branch  off,  and  suspend 
beneath  a bamboo,  into  which  the  sap  falls  drop 
by  drop.  In  order  to  reach  the  summit  of  these 


TAPPING  THE  BORASSl’S  PALM. 


29 


450 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


huge  palms,  which  are  straight  and  smooth  as  the 
mainmast  of  a ship,  the  Laotians  have  invented 
a simple  and  ingenious  })rocess.  They  transform 
the  palm  into  a veritable  ladder  by  attaching  to 
the  trunk,  with  small  strips  of  flexible  ratan,  pro- 
jecting laths  of  bamboo,  which,  jutting  out  to 
right  and  left  at  intervals  of  twelve  to  fourteen 
inches,  form  so  many  “ rungs”  and  enable  the 
ascent  of  the  tree  to  be  rapidly  and  easily  accom- 
plished. 


Incidents  of  Mission-Life. 

There  are  bright  gleams  ever  and  anon  reveal- 
ing themselves  in  the  pictures  given  us  of  the  life 
of  our  missionaries  in  this  lonely  corner  of  the 
world,  showing  that  God  does  not  leave  his  serv- 
ants here  to  sadness  and  discouragement.  A 
young  missionary  thus  describes  a visit  to  the 
wife  of  the  king  of  the  province,  by  courtesy 
called  a queen  : 

“ I want  to  tell  you  of  a novel  entertainment 
Mrs.  Cheek  and  myself  enjoyed  last  week.  The 
queen  has  long  been  wishing  for  a dress  made 
like  ours,  and  at  last  she  prevailed  on  Mrs.  Cheek 
to  make  it.  The  material  was  black  summer  silk, 
and  Mrs.  Cheek  made  a pretty,  short  princesse, 
white  lace  at  neck  and  sleeves  and  lavender  bows 
— very  pretty  indeed.  While  it  Avas  being  made 
we  laughed  over  visions  of  bare  feet  beneath  a 
black  silk  awk^vardly  adjusted  and  a yelloAV  cot- 


INCIDENTS  OF  MISSION-LIFE. 


451 


ton  scarf.  When  the  dress  was  finished  Mrs. 
Cheek  invited  me  to  go  with  her  to  the  queen’s 
and  try  to  persuade  her  to  let  us  show  her  how 
to  wear  it.  I was  only  too  willing.  The  queen 
received  us  very  kindly,  and  was  delighted  with 
the  dress.  Mrs.  Cheek  suggested  that  she  put 
it  on  while  we  were  there,  and  she  laughed  and 
said  she  was  ashamed,  but  soon  invited  us  into 
her  bedroom  to  help  her  dress.  Mrs.  Cheek 
had  provided  the  necessary  underclothes,  and 
after  much  instruction  they  were  properly  ad- 
justed. How  we  were  to  get  the  dress  over 
her  sacred  head  was  a question,  but  she  an- 
swered it  by  putting  it  on  herself.  I buttoned 
it,  pinned  the  neck,  and  put  on  her  diamond 
pin  and  necklace,  and  then  we  stood  off  to  get 
the  effect.  The  transformation  w^as  as  pleasing 
as  it  had  been  sudden,  and  we  were  delighted. 
The  queen  seemed  to  know  that  the  dress  was 
suitable,  and  instead  of  being  awkward  she  was 
at  perfect  ease.  Our  fears  were  not  at  all  real- 
ized ; even  the  bare  feet  seemed  dignified.  The 
queen  in  the  native  costume  looks  tall  and  spare, 
but  this  costume  rounded  her  form  out  and 
made  her  look  quite  queenly.  When  the  king 
came  in  to  see  her  he  was  very  much  pleased,  and 
told  her  she  must  have  another  dress  just  like  it. 
We  had  a very  pleasant  visit,  and  returned  home 
well  pleased.  Mrs.  Cheek  is  now  suffering  for 
her  generosity,  for  Chow  O’Boon  has  sent  cloth  to 


452 


^lAM  AND  LAOS. 


have  dresses  made  for  herself  and  daughter,  and 
other  princesses  are  wishing  to  have  the  whole 
costume.” 

Another  enlivening  incident  is  told  in  these 
Avords : 

“ I must  tell  you  of  the  latest  great  excitement 
we  have  created.  Many  years  ago  our  mission- 
compound  was  a temple-ground,  but  the  temple 
was  all  in  ruins  when  the  mission  took  this  land, 
and  the  debris  was  used  for  leveling  the  ground, 
and  in  this  debris  an  old  idol  was  buried.  This 
has  always  been  considered  a very  sacred  spot, 
and  many  peo})le  have  brought  offerings  of  fruit 
and  flowers  to  be  j)laced  near  the  spot  where  the 
idol  was  sujAposed  to  be.  We  have  always  re- 
fused them  admission  to  our  grounds,  but  they 
often  come  at  night  unknown  to  us  and  bring 
their  offerings.  Last  week  we  were  having 
our  bank  of  the  river  diked,  and  the  Avorkmen 
found  the  idol.  Mr.  Wilson  had  them  disinter 
it.  As  soon  as  the  people  heard  what  Avas  done 
they  came  in  great  numbers  to  see  the  god  they 
had  been  so  long  worshiping  — an  image  of 
Buddha,  of  sandstone,  about  five  feet  high,  sit- 
ting in  Oriental  fashion  on  a large  stone  pillar. 
It  had  doubtless  once  been  gilded,  but  not  a ray 
of  glory  remained,  and  it  was  both  headless  and 
crippled  in  one  arm.  The  next  day  Mr.  Wilson 
took  an  axe  and  demolished  the  god.  Then  you 
should  have  seen  the  jAeople,  and  especially  the 


INCIDENTS  OF  MISSION-LIFE. 


453 


children,  come  and  peep  through  the  fence,  and, 
half  frightened  at  the  sacrilegious  deed  that  was 
being  done,  hurry  away  again.  We  intend  to 
utilize  this  old  relic  by  making  a garden-seat  of 
the  pedestal  and  a mound  for  ferns  of  the  broken 
pieces. 

Another  lady  describes  a picnic  given  to  some 
newly-arrived  missionaries  by  a Cheung  Mai 
princess : 

“At  four  A.  M.  my  clock  struck  the  alarm,  and 
we  opened  our  eyes  to  find  it  still  dark.  It  did 
not  take  us  long  to  dress.  Lighting  the  oil-stove, 
we  soon  had  boiling  water,  and  coffee,  which,  with 
mango  sauce  and  bread  and  butter,  gave  us  a 
light  breakfast  before  the  long  trip  began.  Just 
before  six  I ran  down  to  the  gate  and  saw  the 
four  elephants  crossing  the  river ; to  my  aston- 
ishment, the  young  prince,  Chow  Kope,  was 
driving  one  of  them.  Like  most  boys,  he 
thought  it  would  be  fun  to  throw  aside  the 
dignity  of  the  princeship  for  a while.  He  is 
a bright,  intelligent  and  winning  boy.  He  drove 
his  elephant  up  to  the  front  veranda,  raised  the 
floor  of  the  howdah  (a  little  house  placed  on  the 
back  of  the  elephant,  and  in  which  we  ride), 
stored  our  baskets,  shawls,  etc.  in  a sort  of  catch- 
all, and  then,  putting  down  the  floor,  spread  my 
boat-mattress  over  it,  and  placed  the  pillows  at 
one  end  that  I might  lie  down  if  I wished  to. 
Our  drivers  sit  upon  the  heads  of  the  elephants. 


45-1 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


climbing  up  by  means  of  the  chain  which  Iiokls 
the  howdali  on,  and  using  the  knee  of  the  fore 
leg  of  the  elephant  for  a stirrup,  or  rather  a step- 
up.  The  elephant,  when  punched  on  the  knee, 
holds  up  his  foot;  the  driver  places  his  foot  on 
the  broad  step  made  by  the  elephant’s  knee,  and, 
catching  hold  of  the  chain,  swings  himself  up  to 
the  monster’s  head,  where  he  sits — monarch  of 
all  he  surveys.  Taking  Chow’s  hand,  I reached 
the  elephant’s  head,  and  then  perched  myself, 
as  comfortably  as  you  can  imagine,  in  my  little 
house.  Others  of  the  party  mounted  elephants, 
and  some  rode  on  horseback. 

“ We  started  off,  moving  slowly  but  surely. 
Crossing  at  the  elephant  ford,  we  soon  reached 
the  road  at  the  east  gate  of  the  city-wall ; follow- 
ing the  road  till  we  reached  the  north-west  gate, 
we  struck  out  across  the  rice-fields — great  plains, 
with  only  now  and  then  a little  cluster  of  trees. 
AVe  could  command  a fine  view  of  the  plains, 
and  the  atmosphere  was  so  clear  that,  for  the 
first  time,  I saw  the  belt  of  mountains  which 
encircles  the  valley  wherein  Cheung  Mai  is  nest- 
led. The  mountain  to  which  we  were  going 
seemed  to  be  only  about  two  miles  away,  but  ■was 
in  reality  four  miles.  The  rice-field  road  took 
us  across  some  little  brooks,  which  the  elephants 
must  have  enjoyed,  for  they  filled  their  trunks 
with  water,  and  every  few  minutes  amused  us  by 
throwing  it  over  themselves,  till  one  would  al- 


INCIDENTS  OF  MISSION-LIFE. 


455 


most  have  supposed  that  that  long  proboscis  was 
an  unfathomable  reservoir.  Before  reaching  the 
mountain  proper  we  came  into  the  woods,  com- 
posed of  bamboo  and  a multitude  of  other  trees 
and  shrubs  of  which  I did  not  know  the  names, 
and  a dense  undergrowth.  The  path  from  this 
place  up  the  mountain  was  narrow,  rough  and 
steep,  but  not  once  did  the  clumsy-looking  crea- 
tures stumble.  They  frequently  came  to  places 
so  steep  that  it  seemed  as  though  it  were  folly  to 
attempt  to  climb  up,  but  up  they  went,  carefully, 
slowly,  placing  the  knees  of  their  fore  legs  on 
the  high  step,  then  drawing  up  the  other  feet, 
never  missing  their  footing.  At  the  foot  of  the 
mountain  we  saw  the  stream  Hoa  Kao,  which  we 
followed  in  the  already  beaten  pathway.  Up,  up 
we  went,  over  rocks  and  shrubs,  and  so  close  to 
the  edge  of  precipices  from  one  hundred  to  one 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  high  that  it  seemed  as  if 
we  must  fall  over.  Oh,  it  was  grand ! At  one 
place  on  the  mountain-side  we  had  a very  fine 
view  of  the  country  for  miles. 

“ You  may  wonder  how  the  drivers  guide  the 
elephants.  A knock  on  the  right  side  of  the 
head  means  turn  to  the  left,  a knock  on  the  left 
means  go  to  the  right,  one  on  the  forehead  means 
go  slowly.  They  use,  in  thus  guiding  these 
beasts,  a bamboo  stick  two  feet  long  with  a 
prong  on  the  end  of  it.  It  did  seem  wonderful 
that  they  were  so  easily  managed.  When  we 


456 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


came  to  a steep  place  Chow  would  say  ‘ Coy  ’ 
(carefully). 

“At  last,  after  a two  hours’  ride,  we  saw  the 
princess  Chow  O’Boon,  with  her  train  of  serv- 
ants, waiting  for  ns  on  a large  flat  rock  by  the 
stream.  With  their  many-colored  skirts  and 
scarfs,  dark  skins,  black  hair  and  shining  eyes 
they  looked  like  a band  of  gypsies.  Here  my 
elepliant  carefully  knelt  down,  and,  stepping  on 
to  its  head,  a man  helped  me,  and  once  more  I 
was  on  terra  firma.  This  spot  was  as  far  as  the 
elephants  could  go,  but  Chow’s  slaves  picked  up 
our  luggage,  and  we  walked  to  where  the  stream 
was  quite  narrow.  By  its  banks  were  great  flat 
rocks,  and  j)rojecting  over  these  and  at  a height 
of  thirty  feet  was  a very  large  umbrella-like 
rock.  It  must  have  projected  twenty-five  feet, 
and  was  about  seventy  feet  long.  Under  its 
shelter  we  had  our  dinner,  and  after  this  a 
nice  resting-time.  Having  brought  our  bath- 
ing-suits, we  went  up  the  stream  later  in  the  day 
and  had  a delightful  bath.  At  four  o’clock  we 
started  for  home.  The  ride  back  was  delightful, 
though  it  was  quite  exciting  coming  down  the 
mountain.  The  sky  was  beautiful : low  in  the 
horizon  were  dark  clouds  threatening  rain;  above 
them  the  lighter  clouds  changed  from  golden  to 
scarlet,  then  gradually  back  to  golden.  A pleas- 
ant breeze  was  blowing,  and  had  not  the  fact  that 
I was  riding  an  ele])hant  kept  me  awake  I should 


INCIDENTS  OF  MISSION-LIFE. 


457 


have  gone  to  sleep.  We  reached  home  about 
seven  o’clock,  and  all  pronounced  Hoa  Kao  a 
beautiful  stream.  We  felt  very  grateful  to  Chow 
O’Boon  for  giving  us  the  use  of  her  elephants 
and  thus  affording  us  so  much  pleasure.” 

But  better  perhaps  than  all  else  of  reward  or 
comfort  in  a missionary’s  experience  are  the  con- 
sistent life  and  triumphant  death  of  one  rescued 
from  the  darkness  and  superstition  of  his  people 
and  brought  into  the  kingdom  of  God.  The 
man  mentioned  in  the  following  account,  the 
first  Laos  convert,  had  for  a number  of  years 
been  walking  with  God  in  humble  faith : 

“ Dear  old  Nan  Intah  is  at  rest — gone  to  be 
with  Jesus  whom  he  loved.  I wish  that  many 
of  those  who  talk  so  much  about  the  failure  of 
mission -work  could  have  been  at  his  bedside  and 
seen  his  resigned  and  peaceful  death. 

“ When  told  that  he  could  not  live  through 
the  day,  he  turned  to  his  eldest  child  and  com- 
mitted the  mother  to  his  care.  He  gave  his  hand 
to  each  of  ns  first,  then  to  his  dear  faithful  wife 
and  children  and  grandchildren,  and  last  to  the 
church-members,  saying  to  them,  ‘ Be  patient ! be 
patient!  trust  in  Jesus,  all  of  you.’  To  his  young- 
est son  he  said,  ‘ I am  walking  on  the  way  you  all 
must  go ; only  be  ready  for  our  Lord.  Oh,  my 
son,  do  not  fall  from  the  right  path.  Trust  in 
the  Lord  now,  and  do  his  work,  as  I have  tried 


458 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


to  do.  You  will  suffer  many  trials,  but  they  will 
be  forgotten  when  the  day  of  reward  comes.  You 
plant  the  rice-fields  in  the  water  and  in  the  rain, 
but  three  months  from  now  you  will  gather  the 
harvest.  Learn  from  your  yearly  work  the  les- 
son of  life,  and  strengthen  yourself  in  Jesus.’  He 
suffered  greatly,  but  toward  the  last  he  lay  quiet- 
ly as  if  sleeping,  then  suddenly  opened  his  eyes 
and  looked  at  me  as  if  he  would  speak,  but  he 
was  not  looking  at  me,  for  his  eyes  were  full  of 
light  and  joy.  A smile  passed  over  his  face,  and 
at  the  same  instant  he  breathed  his  last. 

“The  children  were  violent  in  their  grief,  but 
the  dear  old  wife  and  mother  would  say,  ‘Let  us 
rejoice  rather  that  father  is  now  free  from  suffer- 
ing. Jesus  saved  him  from  sin,  and  now  has  only 
taken  him  to  himself.  God  has  called  him  home 
before  us,  but  we  may  follow  and  be  with  him. 
Be  patient  and  trust,  as  your  father  said.’  She 
was  heartbroken  herself,  and  nearly  exhausted 
with  the  long,  patient  nursing,  and  yet  she  would 
only  say,  ‘ Loong  Nan  never  complained  in  all 
his  two  years’  sickness.  Let  us  not  complain 
of  what  the  Lord  has  done.’ 

“The  men  made  a teak-wood  coffin  and  Mr. 
Wilson  lined  it  with  fresh  white  muslin ; then 
the  body  of  our  beloved  old  elder,  the  first  Laos 
convert,  was  put  in  it  and  carried  to  the  worship- 
room,  where  his  voice  had  often  been  heard  in 
prayer.  The  whole  land  was  so  flooded  that  it 


INCIDENTS  OF  MISSION-LIFE. 


459 


was  impossible  to  dig  a grave,  so  the  coffin  was 
placed  on  the  surface  of  the  ground  and  a brick 
wall  bnilt  around  it.  This  could  not  be  done  in 
the  public  burying-ground,  and  we  laid  our  dear 
old  Loong  Nan  in  our  own  garden  under  the 
mango  trees.  Every  one  said,  ‘ How  different 
from  a heathen  burial !’ 

“Do  I believe  that  Jesus  is?  Yes,  as  I be- 
lieve that  I live  now.  Nan  Intah,  a poor  ignor- 
ant Laos,  in  this  remotest  corner  of  the  glohe, 
believed  the  j^recions  story  of  our  Lord  and  re- 
ceived the  promise,  ‘ I will  not  fail  thee  nor  for- 
sake thee.’  ‘ I have  called  thee  by  thy  name ; 
thou  art  mine.’  That  bright  look  of  surprised 
joy, — I thank  onr  Lord  for  permitting  me  to  see 
it,  and  it  has  strengthened  my  faith  in  him.” 
With  this  story  of  the  peaceful  death  and 
Christian  burial  of  a man  but  a little  time  ago  a 
believer  in  witchcraft,  a worshiper  of  spirits  and 
of  Buddha,  knowing  nothing  of  God  or  Christ 
or  his  own  soul,  we  leave  the  general  subject  to 
look  more  particularly  at  the  Laos  country  and 
people. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 


FROM  BANGKOK  TO  CHEUNG  MAI. 

S the  newly-arrived  missionary  for  Laos 


stands  in  Bangkok  and  looks  “ up  the 
river,”  the  live  hundred  miles  that  lie  between 
him  and  Cheung  ]\Iai  mean  more  to  him  per- 
haps than  any  of  the  same  nuniher  he  has  trav- 
ersed since  leaving  his  native  land.  It  means 
from  sixty  to  ninety  days’  travel  in  a rocking 
boat,  and  when  accomplished  puts  him  in  one 
of  the  most  isolated  outposts  of  the  Church. 

The  boats  for  the  journey,  with  a Laos  crew 
are  sent  down  from  Cheung  Mai,  as  they  are 
constructed  to  meet  the  peculiarities  of  the  upper 
Menam,  its  changing  channels,  its  shallows  and 
its  rapids.  The  hull  is  of  light  draught,  and  in 
the  larger  boats  is  about  thirty  feet  long  and 
widens  to  the  breadth  of  six  or  seven  feet  across 
the  deck.  At  either  end  it  rises  from  the  water 
in  a sharp,  narrow  curve,  that  of  the  stern  being 
broadened  and  finished  with  an  ornamentation 
which  resembles  a fish’s  tail.  This  is  the  design, 
and  poetical  it  may  be,  but  in  apjjearance  it  is 
clumsy  and  unsymmetrical  in  the  general  con- 


FROM  BANGKOK  TO  CHEUNG  MAI. 


461 


tour  of  tlie  boat.  The  cabin  at  the  stern,  in 
dimensions  about  five  by  seven  feet,  is  used  as 
a sitting-  and  sleeping-room.  The  middle  deck 
is  appropriated  to  the  storing  away  of  goods, 
boxes,  trunks,  etc.,  and  the  bow  is  occupied  by 
the  boatmen,  where  they  sit  when  rowing  or 
walk  when  poling,  and  where  they  eat  and 
sleep.  The  middle  deck  is  covered  over  with 
bamboo  wickerwork.  It  forms  an  arch,  and  is 
so  low  that  one  cannot  stand  up  in  it.  The  roof 
of  the  cabin  is  of  the  same  material,  but  of  finer 
braid,  is  separate  from  that  of  the  middle  deck, 
and  about  two  feet  higher,  so  that  one  can  stand 
comfortably  in  the  centre  of  it.  The  bow  has  an 
adjustable  cover,  which  the  boatmen  slide  on  to 
the  cover  of  the  middle  deck  during  the  day 
and  replace  over  the  bow  at  night.  The  three 
sides  of  the  cabin  toward  the  river  have  the 
upper  parts  entirely  open.  Screens  of  bamboo 
matwork  are  fastened  on  the  outside  by  strings 
of  ratan,  which  answer  the  purpose  of  hinges. 
These  “shutters”  can  be  raised  to  any  angle, and 
are  propped  outward  by  slender  bamboo  sticks. 
Being  tied  to  the  screen,  they  are  always  at 
hand. 

The  crew  consists  of  a captain  and  from  six  to 
eight  boatmen.  It  is  quite  an  imposing  sight 
when  the  Laos  king  starts  out  with  a fieet  of 
forty  or  fifty  of  these  boats,  each  taking  place 
in  line  according  to  the  rank  of  the  passengers, 


462 


67.4.1/  .li\7>  A.  106’. 


the  king’s  boat  at  the  head  with  the  Siamese  flag 
aloft,  and  gongs  sounding  the  departure. 

Our  missionary  fleet  seldom  exceeds  three 
boats,  and  is  minus  the  flags  and  gongs,  but 
instead  has  the  waving  of  hats  and  handker- 
chiefs by  the  outward  bound,  which  is  answered 
by  the  watchers  on  the  banks.  “ Bon  voyage !” 
and  “ God  speed  you !”  mingle  with  the  farewells 
of  the  company  on  the  receding  boats  until  each 
is  lost  to  the  other’s  sight. 

Let  us  suppose  that  you  and  I are  of  a com- 
pany awaiting  in  Bangkok  the  coming  of  the 
Laos  boats.  For  many  days  we  have  been  mak- 
ing provision  for  our  journey  as  well  as  enjoying 
the  societv  of  dear  friends,  when  at  last  one  even- 
ing  the  announcement  is  made,  “ The  boats  are 
here !”  With  one  accord  we  rush  to  the  river- 
bank  in  time  to  see  them  filing  into  place  for 
mooring  in  front  of  the  missionary  comjiound. 
How  topheavy  they  look,  reminding  us  of  old- 
fashioned  stage-coaches  ! The  dusky  boatmen 
look  at  us  with  smiling  faces  as  we  greet  them 
with  “Subh'uf’  (“Are  you  well?”),  and  respond 
with  a hearty  ‘^Suhi?  subif’  (“Well?  well?”), 
returning  the  question  to  us.  We  next  ask, 
“ How  many  days  since  you  left  Cheung  Mai  ?” 
Ten  days,  or  fifteen,  or  twenty  may  be  the  reply, 
for  you  must  understand  it  is  easier  to  get  from 
Cheung  Mai  to  Bangkok  than  from  here  to  Che- 
ung Mai.  How  is  that?  Well,  their  quick  trip 


FROM  BANGKOK  TO  CHEUNG  MAI. 


463 


indicates  a good  stage  of  water,  and  they  have 
been  able  to  shoot  the  rapids  and  to  row  most  of 
the  way  in  the  smoother  waters.  In  going  up 
the  poling  in  the  upper  river  is  slow  work,  and 
the  boats  have  to  be  dragged  by  ropes  over  the 
ra]3ids,  which  consumes  both  time  and  strength, 
for  the  boatmen  have  to  rest  after  passing  the 
most  difficult  {i.  e,  high  and  swift).  We  must 
also  take  into  consideration  the  difference  of 
going  with  the  current  and  against  it. 

By  the  time  we  have  finished  this  little  talk 
the  boats  have  been  tied  to  their  moorings  and 
the  boatmen  are  sitting  in  sqiiat-fashion  on  the 
decks,  resting  before  their  ])reparations  for  sup- 
per and  for  the  night.  As  we  bid  them  “ Good- 
evening” our  thoughts  are  busy  with  the  morrow, 
when  we  shall  begin  to  arrange  our  boats  for  the 
trip  northward.  At  dawn  we  are  awake,  and 
find  the  atmosphere  cool  even  to  chilliness,  as  it 
always  is  in  the  winter  months.  The  thermom- 
eter, we  find,  stands  at  60°  (at  Cheung  Mai  at 
this  season  it  is  often  as  low  as  54°).  The  cool 
season  is  best  suited  to  traveling  in  boats,  and  it 
is  important  that  we  get  off  at  its  beginning.  In 
the  hot  season,  March  and  April,  the  journey 
will  be  intolerable,  and  the  river  being  then  very 
low,  it  would  be  impossible  to  get  the  larger  boats 
through  the  shallow  water.  In  the  rainy  season, 
from  May  till  October,  you  can  imagine  what  it 
would  be  to  live  in  a close  boat  with  a daily  visi- 


4G4 


-S744/  AND  LAOS. 


tation  of  rain,  besides  the  risk  to  health  from 
constant  dampness  and  exposure  to  malaria, 
which  is  rifest  at  that  season.  The  best  time 
for  the  journey  is  the  cool  season,  when  the 
skies  are  without  a cloud — from  the  middle  of 
November  till  February — and  the  air  is  cool  and 
pure.  The  weather  then  is  like  October  in  our 
IMiddle  States,  warm  throughout  the  day  Avith 
cool  nights  and  mornings.  You  will  then  need 
the  blankets  and  quilts  provided  by  the  dear 
home  friends,  and  your  warm  wraps  and  shawls 
will  be  in  use  most  of  the  way. 

As  our  goods  and  provisions  are  transferred  to 
the  boats,  we  proceed  to  their  arrangement  in  the 
narroAV  spaces  allotted.  You  will  not  think  our 
aj)pointments  very  luxurious,  yet  we  can  make 
our  cabin  neat  and  home-like  by  hanging  cur- 
tains at  the  windows,  and  our  mattresses,  which 
are  laid  in  a corner  on  the  floor,  we  can  fold 
together  and  cover  with  a chintz  sj)read,  thus 
economizing  space  and  improvising  a sofa.  On 
the  shelf  above  we  shall  jflace  a few  books,  toilet 
articles  and  flowers  and  ferns  as  we  can  get 
them.  A grass  mat  upon  the  floor  and  two  or 
three  camp-chairs,  and  the  arrangements  are 
complete,  the  goods  in  mid-deck  being  tidily 
and  compactly  settled,  with  trunks  and  boxes 
left  accessible  and  all  the  articles  for  “ below 
decks”  being  nicely  stored. 

The  cheery  “All  ready !”  is  given,  and  we 


FROM  BANGKOK  TO  CHEUNG  MAT. 


465 


launch  out  into  the  river.  The  exit  is  very  quiet. 
As  our  crafts  are  pulled  out  to  mid-stream  the 
splash  of  the  long  oars  as  they  fall  and  rise  is 
the  only  signal  of  our  outgoing.  AVe  select 
the  time  of  departure  at  “ flood-tide,”  when  the 
waters  from  the  Gulf  of  Siam  come  up  to  start 
us  on  our  way.  But  in  a few  hours  we  are 
beyond  this  tidal  wave — yes,  and  far  beyond  the 
dear  friends  we  left  standing  on  the  bank  of  the 
river.  Bangkok  is  left  in  the  distance,  with  its 
missionary  homes  and  chapels,  its  palaces,  huts 
and  great  temples,  its  shipping,  steamers  and 
market-boats,  its  bazaars  and  merchant-houses 
and  its  thronging,  restless  population. 

The  river  at  this  stage  of  our  journey  is  wide 
and  even  with  its  banks,  while  the  heavy  volume 
of  water  is  rippling  and  turbid.  As  we  pass  the 
suburbs  and  get  farther  into  the  country  the 
signs  of  human  life  begin  to  disajqiear.  Mile 
after  mile  we  pass  between  the  low  green  banks 
in  uninhabited  seclusion  and  surrounded  on  all 
sides  by  luxuriant  and  gorgeous  vegetation — 
forest  trees  and  bushes  of  nndergrowth  in 
countless  varieties,  and  conspicuous  among  them 
the  bamboo,  cocoanut  and  palm.  Every  bend 
brings  a repetition  of  the  same  scene,  without 
the  sight  of  a house  or  road  or  farm,  until  we 
reach  one  of  the  many  villages  that  are  scattered 
at  distances  all  the  way  to  Rahang,  our  halfway 
station. 


.so 


466 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


And  now  what  of  boat-life  and  onr  Laos 
crew?  The  captain,  with  the  rudder-handle 
and  his  stool,  occupies  one  entire  side  of  our 
cabin.  The  tiller,  entering  aft  of  the  cabin  be- 
tween the  floor  and  wall,  passes  over  its  whole 
length  to  the  fore  side,  where  it  reaches  the  hand 
of  the  pilot  as  he  sits  on  a high  stool.  This 
arrangement  trammels  our  movements  on  that 
side,  as  of  necessity  we  must  keep  out  of  the  way. 
The  man  himself,  with  the  characteristics  of  his 
race,  is  polite,  simple-hearted  and  unobtrusive. 
The  men  at  the  how  who,  with  strong  arms  are 
propelling  the  boat,  soon  win  our  esteem  by  their 
patient  faithfulness.  The  happier  it  will  be, 
however,  if  some  of  our  native  Christians  are 
of  the  company.  Yet  even  the  untaught  Laos 
have  a kindness  of  nature  and  a desire  to  please 
and  oblige  which,  with  their  quiet,  gentle  ways, 
gain  oui-  interest  and  respect.  To  find  the  noble 
qualities  of  friendliness,  kindness  and  gratitude 
amongst  a people  so  morally  degraded  may  seem 
contradictory,  but  it  remains  a fact. 

The  leisure  hours  in  the  boat  we  occupy  in 
the  study  of  the  language,  Bible-reading,  etc. 
As  meal-time  approaches  we  are  on  the  look- 
out for  a pleasant,  shady  stopping-place,  and  as 
soon  as  the  boat  reaches  shore  we  are  out,  and  at 
once  begin  culinary  operations.  The  boatmen 
gather  driftwood,  which  is  abundant  along  the 
hanks,  and  soon  have  two  fires  lighted.  We 


FROM  BANGKOK  TO  CHEUNG  MAI. 


467 


detail  one  or  two  men  to  assist  us,  while  the 
others  prepare  their  own  food,  which  has  been 
selected  and  laid  away,  as  ours  has  been,  in 
Bangkok  before  starting.  The  Laos  men  are 
more  or  less  accustomed  to  assist  in  cooking 
when  at  home,  and  this  training  is  a great  con- 
venience to  themselves  and  to  us  in  this  long 
river-journey. 

If  our  methods  of  preparing  a meal  are  differ- 
ent, a much  sharper  contrast  is  drawn  as  we  sit 
down  in  two  companies  on  the  river-shore  to  eat 
our  food.  The  Laos  squat  around  their  baskets 
of  boiled  or  steamed  rice  and  bowls  of  peppery 
curry  made  of  chicken  or  fish.  This,  with  bowls 
of  vegetables  and  fruit  lying  around  loose,  is  laid 
on  the  bare  sand  or  deck  as  the  case  may  be.  No 
knives  or  forks  are  used,  but  we  may  see  wooden 
spoons,  with  which  they  dip  up  the  savory  vege- 
table curry  from  the  general  dish,  throwing  back 
their  heads  as  they  put  it  into  their  mouths.  In 
fact,  they  eat  most  of  their  food  in  this  manner. 

Supper  is  the  only  meal  we  can  take  leisurely, 
as  we  do  not  j^repare  it  till  landed  for  the  night. 
At  breakfast  and  dinner  we  consume  but  little 
over  an  hour  in  preparing  and  eating.  By  man- 
agement Ave  can  have  breakfast  and  dinner  under 
preparation  when  the  boat  stops,  so  as  to  make 
as  little  delay  as  possible.  All  having  eaten  and 
the  dishes  being  Avashed  and  laid  away,  Ave  re- 
sume our  course. 


468 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


As  we  pass  the  different  towns  and  villages  we 
stop  as  necessity  requires  to  replenish  our  larder 
in  the  line  of  rice,  vegetables,  fruit,  fish  or  chick- 
ens. Flour,  coffee,  tea,  sugar,  etc.  we  provided  in 
Bangkok  for  the  whole  trip.  The  flour  conies 
from  America.  When  we  bake  bread  it  is  always 
in  the  evening.  We  got  leaven  from  the  friends 
in  Bangkok,  and  hold  it  in  safe-keeping,  lest  we 
run  short  midway  in  our  journey.  When  the 
boat  stops  for  the  night  we  have  our  loaves  al- 
ready risen  in  the  pans,  and  our  first  care  is  a 
fire  for  its  immediate  baking. 

The  houses  in  these  towns  are  scattered  with- 
out regularity  of  streets  or  squares.  Slight  bam- 
boo fences  mark  the  boundaries  of  each  house  and 
garden.  The  enclosed  space  may  be  large,  as  in 
case  of  a nobleman’s  residence,  or  very  small  or 
maybe  none  at  all  in  that  of  a poor  peasant. 
The  houses  are  built  of  bamboo,  and  are  raised 
on  posts.  The  roofs  are  covered  with  attap  (a 
broad-leaved  grass  resembling  blades  of  corn). 
Costlier  and  larger  houses  are  made  of  teak- 
wood,  raised  also  on  posts  and  the  roofs  covered 
with  tiles.  Not  a brick  house  or  a chimney  is  to 
be  seen  anywhere.  At  a distance  the  appearance 
of  a town  is  strongly  suggestive  of  barns  and  hay- 
stacks. 

In  contrast  with  these  rude  domiciles  we  find 
in  the  vicinity  of  every  town  large  and  elaborate- 
ly finished  temples.  Upon  them  the  wealth  and 


FROM  BANGKOK  TO  CHEUNG  MAI. 


469 


taste  of  the  community  are  concentrated.  They 
are  built  of  brick  and  plastered  with  white  cement, 
Avhich  gleams  like  marble  through  the  heavy, 
dark  foliage  of  the  trees  in  the  temple-grounds. 
AVood-car rings  and  gold-leaf  and  mosaics  of 
colored  glasses  or  isinglass  wrought  into  many 
devices  decorate  the  front  entrance  and  doorway. 
Standing  apart,  they  have  a domain  of  their 
own.  Their  broad  grounds  are  enclosed  by  a 
brick  fence  covered  with  white  cement.  In 
proximity  to  the  temple  are  the  numerous  little 
houses  of  the  priests,  Avhom  Ave  can  see,  at  all 
hours  and  in  all  places,  marching  about  in  dress 
of  bright  yelloAV  and  Avith  bald,  shaA^en  heads. 

The  shady  seclusion  of  these  grounds,  with  the 
images  of  Buddha  sitting  in  darkness  Avithiii  the 
temple,  and  it  being  also  the  abode  of  the  priest- 
hood, make  it  a place  of  great  sanctity  and  ven- 
eration to  the.se  superstitious  people. 

The  same  uniformity  presents  itself  in  every 
hamlet  and  tOAvn  in  our  route.  BetAA'een  these 
places  miles  and  miles  of  solitary  silence  stretch 
aAA-ay,  until  Ave  could  readily  imagine  that  all  of 
human  kind  had  forsaken  the  earth,  and  that 
Ave,  by  some  strange  destiny,  were  left  in  this  big 
“ basket  of  bulrushes”  to  go  on  and  on  inter- 
minably. AA'hat  Avonder,  then,  that  the  sight 
of  a town  or  a pa.ssing  boat  are  pleasant  inter- 
ruptions on  this  monotonous  liighAvay  ? 

Reaching  NakaAvn  SooAAUin  (/.  e.  “City  of 


470 


SIAM  AXD  LAOS. 


Heaven”),  a provincial  capital  ten  days’ journey 
below  Raliang,  we  find  it  situated  at  the  junction 
of  two  branches  of  the  river.  Our  route  leads  us 
into  the  left  or  north-west  branch.  Here  the  cur- 
rent is  so  swift  that  it  becomes  necessary  to 
abandon  the  oars  and  resort  to  the  long  poles 
(iron-pronged  at  the  end)  to  push  the  boat 
through  the  seething  waters.  All  the  dexterity 
and  acuteness  of  the  polesmen  and  pilot  are  put 
to  the  test  now  in  keeping  within  the  channel 
and  to  prevent  our  being  cast  upon  a sandbar. 
The  bed  of  the  river  is  filled  with  masses  of  sand, 
which  are  in  a state  of  perpetual  change.  AVhirl- 
ing  and  careering  and  finding  no  permanent 
lodgment,  it  is  constantly  displacing  the  chan- 
nel, while  we  in  our  pursuit  of  it  often  miss  it  by 
a half  space  of  the  boat,  one  side  of  which  is 
lying  on  a sand-drift,  and  at  the  other  there  may 
be  the  depth  of  twelve  or  fourteen  feet  of  water. 
In  pushing  off,  the  current  carries  us  down 
stream,  and  as  we  recover  our  distance  again 
we  think  of  the  problem  of  the  frog  in  the 
well,  and  our  question  is : If  in  one  hour  we 
gain  three  miles  and  lose  one,  when  shall  we 
reach  Eahang? 

However,  as  “ perseverance  conquers  all 
things,”  we  make  our  way  through  this  war 
of  waters  (passing  several  towns  on  our  way) 
more  or  less  difficult  of  navigation,  until  we 
reach  Rahang,  where  we  find  the  river  divided 


FROM  BANGKOK  TO  CHEUNG  MAI. 


471 


into  several  cliannels  by  little  islands.  The 
banks  are  high  and  the  situation  is  beautiful 
for  a city,  with  its  mountain-range  and  its  two 
sentinel  mountains,  one  east,  the  other  west,  of 
the  town. 

Rahang  marks  the  terminus  of  one-half  our 
journey,  and  is  the  most  northern  of  Siamese 
towns.  By  some  it  is  reckoned  as  the  most 
southern  Laos  town. 

Its  officials  are  in  general  Siamese,  although 
its  population  is  mixed  and  is  estimated  at  fifteen 
thousand.  Here  Ave  see  Laos,  Siamese,  Chinese, 
Burmese,  Peguans,  Karens,  etc.  At  a glance 
you  Avill  see  the  importance  of  its  occupation  as 
a missionary  centre.  About  tAvo  years  ago  Hr. 
IMcGilvary  labored  alone  here  for  many  months. 
He  Avas  kindly  received  and  much  encouraged  in 
his  Avork.  As  its  fruit  some  Avere  led  to  the 
Saviour,  and  a permanent  mission -station  is  to 
be  established  here  during  the  coming  year. 

After  two  or  three  days’  sojourn,  spent  in 
making  jireparation  for*  the  last  jjart  of  our 
journey,  Ave  set  forth  again,  and  noAv  to  enter 
the  border  of  Laos. 

A few  miles  north  of  Rahang  the  river 
branches  once  more.  ^Ye  follow  the  north-west 
fork,  called  the  Maping.  The  other  branch 
(Mawang)  leads  to  the  province  of  LakaAvn, 
where  is  one  of  our  Laos  churches.  Although 
the  country  in  this  vicinity  is  comparatively 


472 


SIAM  A XI)  LAOS. 


level,  vet  the  high  banks  and  the  views  of 
distant  mountain-ranges  or  hills  diversify  the 
scenery,  which  has  not  the  dull  monotony  of 
the  lower  Menam — a pleasing  change,  and  one 
that  beguiles  our  time  and  attention  as  the  boats 
are  slowly  making  tlieir  Avay  toward  the  rapids ; 
and  seven  or  eight  days’  “poling”  bring  us  to 
the  entrance  of  the  ravine  at  their  foot. 

After  weeks  of  voA^aging  on  a broad  river  and 
through  a flat  country,  Avith  a wide  horizon 
ahvays  encircling  us,  hoAV  anomalous  to  be  con- 
fronted by  this  rocky  pass,  through  Avhich  Ave 
must  thread  our  Avay  up  forty  rapids  to  the 
equally  level  territory  of  Laos  heyond  it ! As 
we  enter  the  gorge  from  the  bright  sunlight  a 
sombre  shade  closes  over  us,  even  “ the  shadoAv 
of  a great  rock  in  a weary  land.'’  Wild  and 
grand  beyond  descri^Ation  are  these  canons  and 
falls  of  the  Maping  River,  and  far  exceeding 
any  portrayal  are  the  lofty,  majestic  mountains 
through  Avhich  the  riA^r  cuts  its  AA'ay. 

No  scientific  survey  has  eA^er  been  made  of  the 
incline  of  the  river,  neither  accurate  measure- 
ment of  the  height  of  its  mountains.  Mission- 
aries have  approximated  the  altitude  of  some  of 
the  cliffs  that  border  the  river  at  from  eight  hun- 
dred to  fifteen  hundred  feet.  The  geology  and 
flora  of  this  region  remain  unclassified.  In  silent 
beauty  they  await  the  coming  of  one  Avho  may 
some  day  unlock  their  secrets. 


FROM  BANGKOK  TO  CHEUNG  MAI. 


473 


It  occupies  from  one  to  two  weeks  in  getting 
through  the  rapids.  Some  are  so  difficult  of 
ascent  as  to  require  many  hours  for  its  accom- 
plishment, while  others  can  be  gotten  over  in 
less  than  half  an  hour.  By  means  of  ropes  and 
pulleys  the  men,  with  the  “ Heave-0  ” cry  that 
is  heard  the  world  over,  pnll  and  push  the  boat 
upward  through  the  gushing  waters  to  the  top  of 
the  fall,  where  we  glide  on  in  smoother  ease — 
several  miles,  it  may  be — nntil  a warning  roar 
in  the  distance  announces  the  approach  to  an- 
other rapid. 

The  river  is  very  winding  in  its  course  and 
variable  in  breadth — narrow  here,  where  perpen- 
dicular walls  of  granite  rise  sheer  out  of  the 
water  to  prodigious  heights,  shutting  us  in  with 
heavy  shadows  and  deep  solitude ; wider  there, 
where  the  rocks  recede  and  stand  ajiart,  leaving 
valleys  between,  where  many  a boulder,  large 
and  small,  in  “ rank  confusion”  lies,  and  where 
at  the  river’s  edge  are  spaces  of  white  sandy 
beach.  Here,  where  we  halt  for  the  night,  a 
spacious  ampitheatre  encloses  us  apart  from  all 
of  earth.  Encompassed  by  the  “ everlasting 
hills”  and  under  the  silent  stars,  we  sing  our 
evening  song  of  praise  and  worship  “ Him  who 
is  from  everlasting  to  everlasting.” 

When  the  mornino;  sunlio-ht  sends  us  on  our 
way  again,  fresh  revelations  of  beauty  meet  our 
wondering  eyes — cliffs  whose  precipitous  sides 


474 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


have  been  under  the  frescoing  pencil  of  the  sun 
and  rain  for  a thousand  years ; castellated  rocks 
with  great  columns  of  stalactites  pendent  on  the 
gray  walls ; caves,  crags  and  ravines  with  crystal 
cascades  singing  their  solemn  tune  in  lonely 
places.  Nor  is  there  destitution  of  vegetable 
life.  In  beautiful  relief  we  find  the  rich  green 
so  peculiar  to  the  tropics  spread  everyAvhere 
amongst  this  rugged  scenery — trees,  bushes,  flow- 
ers, vines,  ferns  and  mosses. 

At  the  head  of  the  rapids,  and  soon  after  pass- 
ing out  of  the  mountains,  we  get  our  first  sight 
of  a Laos  village ; and  cheerful  it  is  to  come 
again  amongst  the  habitations  of  men.  During 
onr  two  weeks’  transit  from  this  point  to  Cheung 
Mai  we  find  a country  having  the  same  general 
features  as  that  below  the  falls,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  higher  banks  along  the  river ; but  here 
we  have  another  type  of  people,  entirely  different 
in  dress  and  address  from  those  of  the  lower 
INIenam.  In  common  with  the  Siamese,  they 
adhere  to  the  Buddhist  faith,  adding  also  spirit- 
worship.  They  have  the  same  habit  of  betel- 
chewing  and  the  same  forms  of  superstition,  yet 
are  a distinct  race  in  customs  and  modes  peculiar 
to  themselves. 

j\Iany  sights  of  exclusively  new  character  are 
continuously  meeting  us  too.  The  first  that 
strikes  the  attention  is  the  Laos  system  of  water- 
wheels, used  for  the  irrigation  of  rice-fields  and 


FROM  BANGKOK  TO  CHEUNG  MAI. 


475 


gardens.  They  are  made  of  bamboo,  and  are 
abont  twenty  feet  in  diameter,  and  so  adjusted 
as  to  be  turned  by  the  current  of  the  river,  their 
rims  being  furnished  with  small  bamboo  troughs 
which  dip  up  the  water  as  the  wheel  turns  down, 
and  is  emptied  as  the  wheel  turns  up  into  a large 
trough  on  the  bank,  and  thence  conveyed  away 
by  bamboo  gutters.  We  see  these  Avheels  at 
every  turn  (right  and  left  side)  of  the  river, 
yet  never  lose  interest  in  the  rude  machinery 
nor  in  the  constant  dipping  and  emptying  pro- 
cess. 

Still  proceeding  northward,  we  come  amongst 
the  cucumber-gardens  which  are  2)lanted  on  the 
broad  sandbars.  The  Laos  women,  taking  ad- 
vantage of  the  low  water  at  this  season,  occupy 
in  free  possession  every  available  spot.  The 
morning  and  evening  they  give  to  the  cultiva- 
tion of  these  sandy  gardens,  in  which  they  raise 
cucumbers,  beans  and  sweet  potatoes.  A fasci- 
nating sight  it  is  to  see  these  islands  of  “ living 
green”  scattered  up  and  down  the  bed  of  the 
river. 

But  what  a spectacle  we  have  in  the  long  lines 
of  little  cows  and  oxen,  each  laden  with  baskets 
of  rice  which  they  are  carrying  from  the  harvest- 
fields!  Two  long  baskets,  holding  perhaps  a 
bushel,  are  joined  by  a yoke  which  rests  on 
the  animal’s  back,  while  the  baskets  hang  at  its 
sides  in  the  fashion  of  saddle-bags.  In  one  train 


476 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


we  may  see  twenty,  forty  or  one  hundred,  and 
they  walk  single  file.  The  leader  has  great  pre- 
eminence ill  having  its  face  masked  with  an  em- 
broidery of  shellwork,  Avhile  over  its  head  stream 
the  gay  feathers  of  the  peacock,  and  a string  of 
bells  (resembling  sleigh-bells)  is  hung  around 
its  neck.  Many  of  the  others  also  have  bells, 
and  what  a merry  sound  they  make  as  they  pass 
along  on  the  banks  above  us ! This  is  the  only 
way  the  Laos  utilize  the  cow,  for  they  abhor  milk 
and  butter. 

At  Kahang  Ave  saAV  elephants  in  limited  num- 
bers, but  here  Ave  see  them  in  scores.  This  is 
literally  true  in  the  case  of  a prince’s  retinue, 
Avhcii  Ave  see  from  forty  to  sixty  or  more  in  one 
procession.  They  are  in  universal  use  as  beasts 
of  1 111  r den. 

See  those  large  buffaloes  that  stand  at  the  edge 
of  the  Avater ! They  have  short  and  thin  hair — 
in  some  pinkish  in  color,  in  others  gray.  To 
cool  themselves  and  to  escape  the  biting  insects 
they  Avalk  into  the  river  and  lie  doAvn,  and  are 
so  completely  submerged  that  not  a spot  of  them 
is  visible  but  the  nose.  Sometimes  Ave  see  them 
standing  in  the  Avater  and  birds  hopping  along 
their  backs  or  perching  betAveen  the  huge  horns. 
The  buffalo  manifests  no  annoyance,  and  the 
birds  have  it  all  their  OAvn  Avay.  They  are  old 
and  familiar  friends.  These  buffaloes  are  used 
in  ploughing,  and  they  also  tread  out  the  rice. 


FROM  BANGKOK  TO  CHEUNG  MAI. 


477 


As  it  is  now  toward  the  close  of  the  dry  season, 
we  frequently  meet  men  and  women  fording  the 
river,  who  in  passing  near  our  boat  give  the  salu- 
tation of  Pi  n'i  tua  f — i.  e.  “ Going  where  ? com- 
ing from  where?”  It  is  a customary  greeting, 
and  carries  no  impertinence  in  it.  AVe  have 
answered  this  question  from  prince  and  peasant 
many  a time  during  our  journey,  and  it  is  rather 
a suggestive  one,  as  in  our  reply  we  add  ivhy  we 
come. 

And  here,  walking  about  in  the  river,  are  the 
fishermen,  busy  by  night  and  by  day  in  their 
eager  pursuits.  At  any  hour  of  the  night  when 
we  awaken  we  see  their  torchlights  flashing 
hither  and  thither  up  and  down  the  river. 

So  onward  we  go,  seeing  strange  new  sights 
and  customs,  passing  village  after  village,  ex- 
changing greetings  with  the  j)eople ; then 
through  long  miles  of  loneliness,  where  we  are 
hedged  in  by  trees  and  thickets  of  perennial 
green ; yet  with  prow  ever  to  the  north  (Cheung 
Mai  the  lodestone)  we  are  steadily  and  surely 
nearing  our  goal. 

And  now,  as  we  round  this  bend,  the  plain  of 
Cheung  Alai  and  the  grand  old  mountains  in  the 
north-west  come  into  full  view.  (The  walled  city, 
a mile  distant  to  the  westward,  is  not  in  the  line 
of  vision.) 

As  we  move  slowly  up  the  river  Ave  see  on 
the  left  bank  an  old  temple  overshadowed  by 


478 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


old  trees  heavy  with  foliage.  On  the  bank  stand  a 
number  of  Buddhist  priests  dressed  in  their  yellow 
robes,  who  have  come  out  of  their  little  houses  near 
the  temple  to  look  at  the  passing  boats.  The  plain 
on  both  sides  of  the  river  and  to  the  very  banks 
abound  in  bamboo  trees,  as  well  as  palm,  cocoa- 
nut  and  an  occasional  banyan  tree,  which  makes 
a large  circumference  of  shade.  In  amongst  the 
trees  toward  the  river  are  the  low  bamboo  huts 
of  the  natives,  with  here  and  there  a more  pre- 
tentious house  built  of  teak-wood  and  roofed  with 
tiles;  a bridge  spans  the  river.  Just  beyond  the 
bridge  (north)  and  on  the  west  side  we  catch  a 
view  of  Dr.  Cheek’s  compound,  and  below  it  on 
the  east  side  are  the  mission  premises.  Ah  ! how 
long  we  are  in  going  over  that  last  half  mile ! 

Getting  nearer,  we  see  the  waiting  company 
on  the  bank  and  can  feel  the  welcome  that  is  all 
about  us.  Drawing  uj:*  to  the  stej)s  at  the  land- 
ing, how  gladly  we  leave  the  boats  to  meet  the 
cordial  reception  of  the  missionaries  and  native 
friends  who  stand  with  outstretched  hands  to 
receive  us ! Then,  entering  our  new  home,  it  is 
with  thanksgiving  and  joy  that  the  Master  has 
appointed  our  service  for  him  amongst  the  Laos. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  CHEUNG  MAI. 

My  friends  often  say  to  me,  “ Tell  ns  some- 
thing about  Laos,  where  you  lived  when  a 
child.”  Listen,  then,  to  a few  of  the  things  I 
remember  about  Cheung  Mai,  the  people  who 
live  in  it  and  some  of  their  customs. 

The  province  of  Cheung  Mai  is  the  largest  of 
the  six  Laos  kingdoms,  and  is  tributary  to  Siam. 
As  no  census  is  taken  amongst  this  people,  the 
population  cannot  be  accurately  stated,  but  it  is 
supposed  by  some  of  the  missionaries  to  be  about 
eighty  thousand.  On  the  map  which  accompanies 
this  book  you  will  see  that  the  capital  city,  Cheung 
Mai,  is  in  latitude  18°  48'  north,  and  on  the  west 
branch  of  the  Menam  River ; but  the  map  will 
not  tell  you  that  its  suburbs  extend  for  some  dis- 
tance up  and  down  each  side  of  the  river.  In 
America  the  cities  have  no  walls  around  them, 
but,  like  most  Eastern  cities,  Cheung  Mai  is  sur- 
rounded by  high  and  thick  brick  walls,  which  in 
many  places,  however,  have  gone  to  ruin.  When 
there  is  a rumor  of  war  the  king  issues  a decree 
that  every  man  shall  l)ring  a teak  log  to  repair 

479 


480 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


the  breaches  in  the  wall.  It  was  on  the  pretext 
that  onr  two  Laos  Christians  had  disobeyed  this 
command  that  they  were  arrested  and  so  cruelly 
put  to  death. 

You  may  be  interested  in  what  Sir  Robert 
Schomburg  says  about  the  streets  of  Cheung 
Mai : “ The  streets  of  this  city  have  been  (origin- 
ally) laid  out  at  right  angles.  Time,  it  seems, 
has  worked  changes  with  regard  to  their  regular- 
ity ; nevertheless,  I have  not  seen  any  other 
Siamese  city  laid  out  apjiarently  so  regularly  at 
its  foundation  as  Cheung  Mai  appears  to  have 
been.”  If  you  could  walk  about  the  streets  of 
the  city  you  would  see,  instead  of  our  Christian 
churches,  very  many  wats,  or  temples,  and  the 
prachadees  which  seem  peculiar  to  Cheung  Mai. 
Again  we  quote  Schomburg : “ ‘ We  pray  to 
Guadama  (or  Buddh)  on  passing  a prachadee,’ 
said  a Laos.  ‘ They  were  built  in  memory  of  him 
and  his  divine  acts,  and  some  of  his  doctrines  are 
written  on  tablets.’  These  remarkable  towerlets 
are  only  cased  with  brickwork  and  filled  uj3  with 
soil.  They  are  plastered  on  the  outside,  are  of 
pyramidal  shape  and  terminate  at  the  summit  in 
a sharp-pointed  spire.”  Most  of  them  are  now 
in  a state  of  decay,  and  are  covered  with  vines 
and  other  vegetation.  You  would  see  no  floating 
houses  in  Cheung  Mai,  as  in  Bangkok.  The 
houses  in  the  city  are  built  far  enough  apart  to 
afford  space  for  the  cultivation  of  flowers,  for 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  CHEUNG  MAI. 


481 


which  the  Laos  have  a great  fondness.  If  the 
space  is  not  large  enough,  they  must  still  have 
flowers,  so  they  cultivate  house-plants.  As  tem- 
ples are  built  of  brick,  it  would  “ offend  the  spir- 
its” to  use  brick  for  dwelling-houses,  and  teak- 
wood  or  bamboo  is  used  instead.  The  bamboo 
houses  of  the  Laos  peasantry  are  roofed  with 
thatch,  the  walls  are  made  of  bamboo  matting 
and  the  floor  of  bamboo  reeds,  cut  open  so  as  to 
lie  flat  on  the  sills.  Not  a nail  is  used  in  such  a 
house,  but  everything  is  secured  with  bamboo  or 
ratal!  withes.  Teak  is  the  most  durable  wood  we 
have,  the  houses  built  of  it  being  the  most  sub- 
stantial. These  houses  are  covered  with  burnt 
tiles,  and  are  more  securely  and  closely  built  than 
the  bamboo  houses.  All  houses  are  built  on  posts 
several  feet  from  the  ground,  and  the  teak  houses 
have  verandas,  while  the  bamboo  houses  have 
open  courts.  The  king  has,  however,  built  a new 
palace,  and  as  it  is  a distant  imitation  of  foreign 
houses  which  he  has  seen  in  Bangkok,  it  is  in 
great  advance  of  all  others  in  Cheung  Mai. 

If  a stranger  should  enter  the  eastern  gate  in 
the  morning,  his  attention  would  be  attracted 
by  a large  concourse  of  women,  who  seem  to  be 
dressed  alike,  as  all  wear  skirts  with  horizontal 
stripes  and  have  their  shining  black  hair  combed 
straight  back  and  looped  into  a beautiful  knot, 
which  needs  no  pin  to  secure  it.  In  this  market 
very  few  men  are  to  be  seen ; the  women  dress  as 

31 


482 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


do  the  Siamese  men.  Each  market-woman  car- 
ries everything  in  two  large  neat  baskets,  which 
are  suspended  from  each  end  of  a long,  flat,  flex- 
ible bamboo  stick  which  lies  on  her  shoulder. 
Some  of  these  women  are  seated  on  mats,  with 
market-baskets  at  their  sides,  while  others  are 
hurrying  hither  and  thither.  On  the  right  side 
of  the  street  is  a woman  in  whose  baskets  are 
vegetables,  for  which  she  wishes  salt  in  exchange. 
Over  on  the  other  side  of  the  street  is  a woman 
with  rice  to  sell,  but  she  prefers  silver.  Silver  is 
superseding  salt  as  a medium  of  exchange.  By 
her  side  is  another  woman  with  bouquets  of  flow- 
ers, for  which  she  finds  a ready  sale;  the  pur- 
chasers carefully  wrap  them  in  banana-leaves, 
and  after  sprinkling  a little  water  over  them 
deposit  them  in  a cool  place  until  evening. 
Late  in  the  afternoon  the  owner,  if  a lady, 
will  appear  with  the  flowers  tastefully  arranged 
in  her  hair,  while  a gentleman  would  wear  his 
blossom  in  a hole  in  the  lobe  of  his  ear. 

Unless  the  market-women  have  been  success- 
ful in  their  business  they  do  not  leave  the  market 
until  the  increasing  heat  of  the  sun  reminds 
them  that  it  is  time  to  retrace  their  steps  home- 
ward. Should  you  wish  to  accompany  one  of 
these  women  home,  she  would  make  you  heartily 
welcome.  On  reaching  the  house  you  would 
first  ascend  several  steps  to  the  front  veranda, 
which  is  usually,  but  not  always,  covered.  From 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  CHEUNG  MAI. 


483 


this  veranda  you  would  enter  the  front  room  or 
open  court,  where  the  daughter  of  the  house 
spreads  a clean  mat  on  the  floor  for  you  and 
gives  you  a large  three-cornered  pillow  on  which 
you  may  rest  one  of  your  elbows.  As  a mark  of 
hospitality  a tray  or  box  of  betel-nut  and  seri- 
leaf  will  be  set  before  you,  and  the  invitation 
given  to  help  yourself.  Though  you  decline,  you 
will  be  interested  in  watching  those  who  may  be 
seated  beside  you  preparing  their  quid.  The 
seri-  or  betel-leaf  is  taken  first,  and  its  tip  over- 
laid with  a minute  quantity  of  slaked  lime ; then 
a pinch  of  finely-cut  tobacco,  a piece  of  cutch  the 
size  of  a pea  and  the  fourth  of  a dried  areca-nut 
are  wrapped  in  the  seri-leaf,  completing  the  mix- 
ture, which  is  chewed  with  evident  enjoyment. 
To  foreigners  this  is  a very  offensive  custom,  but 
so  universal  is  it  among  both  old  and  young  that 
a box  of  these  ingredients  is  carried  with  them 
in  a bag  suspended  from  the  shoulders. 

Should  a member  of  the  family  be  sick,  you 
might  be  invited  nominally  to  see  her,  but  you 
may  be  assured  that  you  would  have  more  occa- 
sion to  use  your  ears  than  your  eyes,  for  the 
only  window  in  the  room  is  a round  hole  about 
three  inches  in  diameter  and  several  feet  from 
the  floor.  The  mattress  is  placed  on  the  floor 
and  surrounded  by  thick  mosquito-netting, 
through  which  you  would  think  it  scarcely 
possible  to  breathe. 


484 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


In  the  kitchen  the  stove  consists  of  a wooden 
frame  about  four  feet  square  and  six  inches  high, 
filled  with  earth  or  sand.  On  this  are  placed 
three  stones  or  bricks  as  rests  for  the  pots,  and 
between  them  the  fire  is  kindled.  As  there  is 
neither  pipe  nor  chimney,  the  smoke  is  suffered 
to  make  its  escape  through  openings  as  best  it 
may,  and  if  it  is  a bamboo  house  there  is  little 
difficulty.  In  the  dry  season  cooking  is  often 
done  in  the  yard. 

Setting  the  table  is  not  a laborious  process. 
The  table  is  round,  about  a foot  and  a half  in 
diameter  and  six  inches  high.  When  meal-time 
arrives  the  table  is  taken  down  from  its  shelf  and 
placed  on  the  floor,  and  by  it  the  tall,  slender 
basket  of  steamed  glutinous  rice.  On  the  table 
is  a bowl  of  curry,  hot  with  pepper  and  other 
spices,  a dish  of  pickled  fish  and  some  vegetables 
and  fruit.  Every  member  of  the  family  dips  his 
rice  into  the  common  bowl  of  curry ; but  if  any 
is  very  fastidious  he  may  have  a dish  of  his  own, 
but  when  he  has  finished  his  meal,  in  order  to 
avoid  being  considered  extremely  lazy,  he  must 
wash  his  own  dish. 

The  women  are  not  kept  in  bondage,  as  in 
China  or  India,  but  are  a great  power  in  the 
land ; and  the  present  queen  has  virtually  the 
reins  of  government  in  her  own  hands,  although 
her  husband  is  the  nominal  head.  She  and  her 
husband  have  always  been  friendly  to  the  mis- 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  CHEUNG  MAI. 


485 


sion,  and  although  the  last  persecution  occurred 
since  they  came  to  the  throne,  it  was  carried  on 
through  the  influence  and  power  of  the  second 
king. 

As  the  queen  walks  out  a maid  walks  behind, 
carrying  over  Her  Majesty  a large  lined  and 
fringed  silk  umbrella  with  silvered  handle, 
which  may  he  about  six  or  eight  feet  long. 
Behind  this  maid  is  another,  carrying  a gold 
betel-nut  box,  while  dozens  of  others  follow  her, 
all  walking  in  single  file,  for  two  persons  are 
never  seen  walking  side  by  side.  The  queen 
has  several  times  visited  the  missionaries  in  their 
homes.  While  she  and  the  first  maids-of-honor 
are  quietly  talking  in  a lady-like  manner  in  the 
parlor,  her  more  inquisitive  servants  are  making 
a thorough  examination  of  the  house  and  what 
are,  to  them,  its  curious  and  strange  contents. 
This  annoyance  does  not  arise  from  ignorance  or 
lack  of  refinement  of  feeling  among  the  people, 
but  because  there  are  about  this  court,  as  well  as 
about  every  other  court,  undesirable  satellites. 

Considering  their  disadvantages,  the  Laos  are 
a remarkably  refined  race,  as  is  shown  by  many 
of  their  customs.  Should  a person  be  telling  an- 
other of  the  stream  which  he  had  crossed,  and 
wished  to  say  it  was  ankle-deep,  as  he  would  feel 
a delicacy  in  referring  to  his  person,  his  expres- 
sion would  be,  “ I beg  your  pardon,  but  the  water 
was  ankle-deep.”  If  one  wished  to  reach  any- 


486 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


thing  above  another’s  head,  he  would  beg  the 
latter’s  pardon  before  raising  his  hand.  A great 
and  passionate  love  for  flowers  and  music  also  in- 
dicates a delicacy  of  feeling.  Although,  before 
missionaries  went  there,  the  women  did  not  know 
how  to  read,  they  were  always  trained  to  be  use- 
ful in  their  homes,  and  a Laos  girl  who  does  not 
know  how  to  weave  her  own  dress  is  considered 
as  ignorant  as  a girl  in  this  country  who  does  not 
know  how  to  read. 

During  the  season  of  rice-planting  and  har- 
vesting every  member  of  the  family  works  in  the 
fields,  and  the  baby  is  left  at  home  under  the  care 
of  the  next  oldest  child.  The  children  are  thus 
early  taught  self-dependence,  and  a boy  who  here 
would  be  thought  scarcely  able  to  care  for  him- 
self is  expected,  after  the  planting  season,  to  take 
care  of  the  buffaloes  in  the  fields  all  day  long. 
The  Laos  use  buffaloes  for  ploughing,  oxen  for 
carrying  rice,  elephants  for  bearing  other  bur- 
dens and  ponies  for  pleasure  riding;  in  which 
latter  only  the  gentlemen  indulge,  the  ladies  be- 
ing debarred  that  jfieasure.  The  motion  of  the 
elephant,  which  is  the  chief  beast  of  burden,  is  a 
swaying  one,  but  there  is  as  much  difference  in 
the  gait  of  elephants  as  in  the  gait  of  horses,  and 
those  with  an  easy  gait  always  command  very 
high  prices.  The  top  of  a howdah,  or  elephant’s 
saddle,  is  very  much  like  that  of  a buggy,  and  the 
seat  is  not  unlike  the  buggy-seat ; the  difference 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  CHEUNG  MAI. 


487 


being  that  there  is  a railing  in  front  which  ex- 
tends a third  of  the  way  across  from  each  side, 
leaving  an  opening  in  the  centre.  The  person 
who  is  so  fortunate  as  to  secure  the  middle  seat 
is  as  comfortable  as  though  seated  in  a chair, 
having  the  elephant’s  back  as  a footstool,  but 
those  sitting  on  either  side  have  to  assume  the 
position  taken  when  seated  on  the  floor.  The 
howdahs  for  carrying  burdens  have  no  cover- 
ings. 

It  is  exceedingly  interesting  to  watch  the  ele- 
phants when  drawing  logs  from  the  river.  The 
teak  logs  are  floated  down  from  the  forests,  and 
the  elephants  haul  them  on  to  land.  An  ele- 
phant is  chained  to  a log,  which  he  drags  to  its 
destination,  and  after  he  is  unchained  he  quietly 
picks  up  his  chain  and  walks  to  the  river  again. 
After  bringing  up  the  logs  he  is  very  careful  that 
they  shall  lie  entirely  even,  and  if  any  end  pro- 
jects he  pushes  it  with  his  tusks  until  his  trained 
eye  can  see  no  fault.  The  air  with  which  he 
moves  back  and  forth  from  the  river  is  very 
amusing ; he  seems  to  say,  “ I understand  my 
business.”  The  baby-elephant  is  a most  mis- 
•chievous  creature,  and  is  the  horror  of  market- 
women,  because  he  often  insists  upon  meddling 
with  the  contents  of  their  baskets. 

The  holiday  which  most  interests  the  mission- 
aries’ children  is  the  New  Year,  when  all,  and  es- 
pecially the  young,  give  themselves  up  to  a pecu- 


488 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


liar  form  of  merry-making  consisting  in  giving 
every  one  a shower.  Armed  with  buckets  of 
water  and  bamboo  reeds,  by  which  they  can 
squirt  the  water  some  distance,  these  people 
place  themselves  at  the  doors  and  gates  and 
on  the  streets,  ready  to  give  any  passer-by  a 
drenching,  marking  out  as  special  victims  those 
who  are  foolish  enough  to  wear  good  clothes  on 
such  a day.  It  is  most  amusing  to  watch  them, 
after  exhausting  their  supply  of  water,  hasten  to 
the  river  or  well  and  run  back,  fearing  the  loss 
of  one  opportunity.  Sometimes  several  torrents 
are  directed  to  one  poor  individual ; then,  after 
the  drenching,  shouts  of  laughter  fill  the  air. 
On  this  day  the  king  and  his  court,  with  a long 
retinue  of  slaves,  go  to  the  river.  Some  of  the 
attendants  carry  silver  or  brass  basins  filled  with 
water  perfumed  with  some  scented  shrub  or  flow- 
er. When  the  king  reaches  the  river’s  brink  he 
goes  a few  steps  into  the  water,  where  he  takes 
his  stand,  while  the  princes  and  nobles  surround 
him.  The  perfumed  water  is  then  poured  on  the 
king’s  head,  afterward  on  the  heads  of  the  nobles, 
and  they  plunge  into  the  river  with  noisy  splash- 
ings  and  laughter.  The  custom  is  also  observed 
in  families.  A basin  of  water  is  poured  on  the 
head  of  the  father,  mother  and  grandparents  by 
the  eldest  son  or  by  some  respected  member  of 
the  family.  This  ceremony  has  some  religious 
significance,  being  symbolical  of  blessings  and 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  CHEUNG  MAI. 


489 


felicity;  a formula  of  prayer  accompanies  the 
ceremony  in  each  case. 

There  is  a mountain  about  five  miles  from  Che- 
ung Mai  on  whose  summit  is  said  to  be  a large 
footprint  of  Buddha;  hence  it  is  sacred  ground, 
and  over  it  has  been  built  a temple.  Into  the 
room  over  that  sacred  spot  none  but  priests  are 
allowed  to  enter.  When  passing  on  the  streets, 
it  is  sad  to  hear  the  priests  repeating  their  pray- 
ers, which  are  literally  “ vain  repetitions,”  “ for 
they  think  that  they  shall  be  heard  for  their 
much  speaking.”  Besides  the  worshi23  of  Buddha, 
and  in  seeming  opposition  to  it,  are  the  worship 
of  evil  sj^irits  and  the  belief  in  witchcraft.  If  a 
person  is  sick  it  must  be  ascertained  who  is  the 
person  in  whom  resides  the  sj3irit  that  caused  the 
sickness.  AVhen  found,  he  and  his  family  are 
banished  to  a distant  province  and  his  house  and 
goods  burned.  This  is  a sure  method  of  wreaking 
vengeance  on  an  enemy ; if  the  sick  has  no  grudge 
against  any  one,  and  is  averse  to  accusing  his 
neighbors,  he  is  beaten  until  the  spirit  within 
him  permits  him  to  reveal  the  secret.  A widow 
and  two  sons,  thus  accused,  sought  the  protection 
of  the  mission,  and  were  allowed  to  remain  on 
the  mission-comj^ound.  They  have  since  become 
Christians,  and  the  two  boys  are  in  school  ex- 
pecting to  study  for  the  ministry.  This  experi- 
ment has  since  been  tried  several  times  by  the 
missionaries,  and  always  with  success,  as  the  na- 


490 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


tives  do  not  now  dare  to  meddle  with  those  under 
the  protection  of  foreign  residents.  Has  not  evil 
in  this  case  been  turned  into  a means  of  good? 
These  j>eople  are  thus  brought  into  daily  contact 
with  the  missionaries  and  constantly  hear  the  gos- 
pel preached.  So  great  is  the  Laos  su|3erstition 
that  after  one  of  the  missionaries  had  taken  with 
him  one  of  these  boys  to  a village  on  a mission- 
ary-tour, the  request  came  from  the  villagers  that 
next  time  the  boy  be  left  at  home,  because  he 
caused  sickness  in  the  village.  The  answer  was 
given  that  he  had  been  with  the  missionaries  a 
long  time  and  had  done  no  harm.  “ Oh,  well,” 
said  they,  “ the  spirits  are  afraid  of  you  foreign- 
ers, and  when  the  boys  go  into  your  yard  the 
spirits  climb  up  the  tamarind  trees  by  your  gate 
and  wait  until  they  again  leave  your  yard,  when 
the  spirits  enter  them  again.” 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


A DAY  AT  CHEUNG  MAI. 

Washing  the  Idols. 

ET  me  take  you  in  imagination  to  our  home 


in  the  Laos  country.  The  house  is  on  the 
banks  of  the  river  Maping,  and  faces  tlie  west. 
As  you  walk  from  the  front  gate  up  through  tlie 
yard  you  will  notice  orange  trees,  cocoanut,  bam- 
boo, mango  and  tamarind,  with  the  pomegranate, 
custard-apple,  guava  and  coffee  tree  of  smaller 
growth.  Some  of  the  flowers  will  seem  familiar, 
as  the  rose,  tiger-lily  and  one  which  bears  a re- 
semblance to  the  beautiful  calla.  The  passion- 
flower, too,  is  here,  with  greater  luxuriance  of 
growth  than  in  America,  and  many  tropical 
flowers  with  heavy  waxen  petals  having  a rich 
perfume.  Seated  on  the  veranda,  your  eye  takes 
in  the  view  of  river,  plain  and  distant  mountain, 
over  which  the  bright  sunshine  is  streaming.  No 
wonder  you  exclaim,  “ Beautiful  for  situation  is 
sunny  Cheung  Mai !” 

But  now  let  me  take  you  to  the  ceremony  of 
idol-hathing , which  occurs  yearly.  We  will  get 
our  hats  and  umbrellas,  for  it  is  afternoon  and 


491 


492 


6744/  4iV7»  LAOS. 


tins  is  the  “ hot  season,”  and  join  the  groups  of 
women  who  are  passing  to  the  nearest  temple, 
about  half  a mile  distant  from  the  mission  prem- 
ises. Look  how  neat  and  clean  they  appear, 
dressed  in  white  jackets  and  the  Balmoral-pat- 
terned Laos  skirts,  with  long  muslin  scarfs  of 
crimson,  purple,  yellow  or  pink  thrown  over  the 
breast  and  shoulders,  and  with  flowers  to  contrast 
or  corresi^ond  with  the  scarfs  in  their  glossy 
black  hair.  Each  woman  bears  in  her  hand  a 
metal  basin — in  some  cases  of  silver — containing 
scented  water.  They  have  spent  part  of  the 
morning  compounding  perfumery  from  spices  or 
flowers,  which,  when  duly  prepared,  is  thrown 
into  the  basin  wdth  fresh  well-water  just  before 
leaving  home.  If  you  peep  into  the  basin  you 
will  see  newly-gathered  flowers  lying  on  the  top 
of  the  water.  It  looks  dainty,  but  its  destiny  is 
to  wash  off  the  dusty,  musty  idols  that  sit  in 
darkness  in  their  allotted  corner  from  year  to 
year.  As  the  women  pass  along  they  talk  merrily 
together.  You  will  see  children  and  bright-eyed 
girls  as  well  as  matrons  and  aged  women. 

As  we  approach  the  temple  we  get  glimpses 
of  its  white  walls  through  the  foliage  of  the 
large  trees  which  overshadow  it.  It  is  built  of 
brick  and  plastered.  The  outer  walls  are  whit- 
ened and  have  a polished  appearance.  It  is  sur- 
rounded by  a low  wall,  built  also  of  brick  and 
plastered.  We  enter  through  a gate  just  in  front 


A DAY  AT  CHEUNG  MAI. 


493 


of  the  temple-door.  How  neatly  the  grounds  are 
kept,  and  how  shady  and  pleasant  they  seem ! 
In  the  same  enclosure  are  the  little  houses  where 
the  priests  eat  and  sleep.  There  are  quite  a 
number  of  these  priests,  young  and  old,  walking 
about  the  grounds,  dressed  in  yellow  robes  and 
with  closely-shaven  heads. 

As  we  pass  from  the  bright,  warm  sunshine 
into  the  dark,  dreary  building  a feeling  of  gloom 
and  sadness  strikes  the  soul.  The  floor  is  hard, 
like  stone,  being  made  of  some  preparation  of 
plaster  and  cement,  and  it  looks  cold  and  cheer- 
less. The  dull,  high  walls  are  without  even  a 
window  to  break  the  dismal  outline. 

On  the  side  opposite  the  door  is  the  shrine  of 
Buddha.  By  the  light  of  the  little  waxen  tapers 
we  observe  a large  idol  of  perhaps  four  feet  in 
length,  with  proportionate  body,  made  of  wood 
and  overlaid  with  gold-leaf.  On  a shelf  below 
where  this  sleepy  Buddha  sits  are  scores  of 
smaller  idols,  covered  with  gold  or  silver  and 
similar  in  appearance  to  the  large  image.  If  we 
go  nearer  we  shall  see  some  of  the  offerings  the 
women  have  brought  and  laid  on  this  shrine. 
There  are  garlands  of  lovely  flowers  which  All 
the  air  with  a heavy  perfume,  fruit  of  different 
kinds,  piles  of  newly-made  yellow  robes,  new 
mats,  pillows  with  embroidered  work,  etc.  These 
are  all  for  the  priests,  and  have  been  prepared 
by  the  skillful  hands  of  women.  You  soon 


494 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


notice  that  more  than  three-fourths  of  those 
present  are  women. 

As  the  time  for  their  so-called  worship  has 
come,  we  look  about  for  seats,  but  as  none  are 
provided,  we  shall  have  to  do  as  the  others  do, 
sit  down  on  the  floor.  The  Laos  women  are 
kind  and  polite,  and  we  soon  find  quite  a num- 
ber of  soft  straw  mats  at  our  service,  with  in- 
vitations to  come  and  sit  on  this  or  that  mat. 
Selecting  our  places,  we  are  soon  seated  in  an 
audience  of  heathen  worshipers.  How  depress- 
ing and  melancholy  it  all  seems ! The  flickering 
flames  of  the  tapers  cast  a weird  light  over  the 
stupid  countenance  of  the  large  idol,  toward 
which  every  face  is  turned.  The  worshiping 
is  not  simultaneous ; there  is  neither  rule  nor 
order  in  it.  Neighbors  who  have  not  met  for 
some  time  are  chatting  together  in  an  ordinary 
tone  of  voice.  A woman  sitting  by  us  is  inquir- 
ing if  we  are  comfortable,  if  this  is  not  a pleasant 
occasion,  if  this  is  one  of  the  ways  we  are  accus- 
tomed to  worship,  etc.  While  answering  her 
questions  we  are  observing  two  women  in  front 
of  us.  One  is  a mother  with  a young  child  on 
her  knee,  in  whose  little  hands  she  places  a 
sweet,  bright  flower;  then  she  closes  the  tiny 
hands,  palm  to  palm,  the  flower  projecting  from 
the  tips  of  the  fingers,  the  stem  within  the  palms. 
She  then,  pressing  the  hands  closely  with  hers, 
raises  them  above  its  baby  head,  at  the  same 


A DAY  AT  CHEUNG  MAI. 


495 


time  inclining  its  body  in  a bow  toward  the 
image  of  Buddha.  So  soon  do  the  heathen 
mothers  begin  to  teach  their  religion  to  their 
little  ones.  The  other  woman  is  very  aged,  and 
she  places  her  hands  just  as  the  baby  did,  and, 
raising  them  high  above  her  head,  bends  her 
body  forward  till  her  head  and  hands  are  press- 
ing the  stony  floor.  How  abject,  how  devout  she 
looks  in  her  prostration  before  the  idol ! But 
she  is  again,  in  a minute,  taking  up  the  con- 
versation where  it  was  broken  off*,  with  quite  a 
hearty  laugh  at  some  passing  remark. 

By  this  time  a j)riest  begins  in  a monotonous 
tone  to  read  from  one  of  the  sacred  books.  The 
talking  and  laughing  are  going  on  in  the  mean 
time.  No  one  present  understands  what  is  being 
read,  the  reader  included,  for  it  is  in  the  Pali 
language,  but  they  imagine  some  blessing  comes 
from  the  reading,  although  it  is  in  an  unknown 
tongue. 

This  over,  the  ceremony  of  bathing  the  idols 
follows.  All  rise  to  their  feet,  the  women  get- 
ting their  basins  of  water  ready,  while  the  men 
carry  out  the  small  images  and  place  them  in  a 
miniature  temple  of  bamboo  which  has  been  tem- 
porarily prepared  in  the  yard.  When  they  are 
all  arranged  the  women  gather  around,  and  each 
one  dashes  her  basin  of  water  over  them,  but  not 
touching  one  of  them  with  the  end  of  a finger ; 
they  are  too  sacred  for  a woman’s  hand  to  touch. 


496 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


The  splashing  and  dashing  of  the  water  is  at- 
tended with  great  hilarity,  terminating  in  a noisy 
romp. 

As  we  turn  homeward  from  this  scene  can  we 
refrain  from  praying,  “ Come,  Lord  Jesus,  come 
quickly,  and  reveal  thyself  to  these  poor  benight- 
ed ones”  ? In  the  evening,  as  we  stand  again  on 
the  veranda,  looking  at  the  sunset,  we  see  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  river  a number  of  men  and 
women  busily  gathering  up  sand  and  putting  it 
into  baskets.  You  are  astonished  when  I tell  you 
that  this  sand  is  carried  to  the  temple-grounds 
and  thrown  into  piles  known  as  sand-gods,  and  a. 
kind  of  worship  is  offered  to  them.  As  the  night 
comes  on  the  people  scatter  away  to  their  homes; 
the  noisy  tumult  subsides,  leaving  a quiet  hush 
which  we  welcome  most  gratefully.  But  hark  ! 
that  deep,  heavy  thud!  thud!  in  the  distance. 
What  is  it?  It  is  the  beating  of  the  great  drums 
which  are  hung  in  the  temple-grounds,  to  awaken 
or  notify  their  gods  that  an  offering  is  about  to 
be  made.  You  will  hear  them  at  intervals 
through  the  night,  even  into  the  morning 
watches. 

When  the  sun  goes  from  you  in  America  this 
evening  it  will  rise  upon  the  poor  Laos  people 
to  awaken  them  to  some  of  their  many  forms  of 
idolatry. 


CHx\.PTER  XXVI. 


A LAOS  CABIX. 

rPHE  cabin  of  the  picture  could  hardly  have 
been  copied  from  any  one  in  Cheung  Mai. 
In  the  garden  districts  temporary  huts  may  be 
found  which  resemble  this  one.  But  these,  being 
for  the  most  part  on  the  open  plain,  are  without 
the  shade  of  palm  or  other  trees. 

The  Laos  captives  near  Petchaburee  live  in 
houses  whose  roofs  have  a circular  appearance. 
The  gables  are  enclosed  with  thatch,  so  arranged 
as  to  form  a continuous  roof  with  that  of  the 
house.  This  roof  reaches  so  low  as  to  shut  out 
all  view  of  the  house  itself  from  the  passer-by. 
These  peo}>le  have  come  from  the  north,  where 
both  cold  and  storms  are  more  severe  than  where 
they  now  live.  In  Cheung  Mai,  the  eaves  of  the 
roofs  and  the  ends  projecting  beyond  the  gables 
are  sometimes  caught  with  such  force  by  the 
Avhirling  storm  that  the  roof  is  carried  away. 
The  whole  of  this  house  seems  to  be  resting 
upon  those  short  posts  which  fork  at  the  top. 
In  most  of  the  houses  of  the  Cheung  Mai  peas- 
antry these  short  posts  serve  to  support  only  the 
flooring.  Strong  beams  or  sills  are  laid  upon 

32  497 


498 


SIAM  Ayn  LAOS. 


them.  Bamboo  poles  are  laid  across  these  sills 
about  a foot  apart  and  tied  with  ratan.  Over 
these  is  spread  the  bamboo  flooring.  This  is 
made  from  the  trunk  of  a laro-e-sized  bamboo. 

O 

It  is  cut  into  the  projier  lengths,  and  these  are 
gashed  lengthwise  all  over  their  surface  by  re- 
peated strokes  of  the  knife  or  axe.  By  this  pro- 
cess the  sticks  become  quite  pliable.  They  are 
then  slit  open  by  passing  the  knife  through  one 
side  of  them  from  end  to  end.  The  broken  and 
jagged  edges  of  the  inner  side  of  the  joints  are 
smoothed  off,  and  we  have  bamboo  boards  a foot 
or  more  wide.  This  flooring  bends  under  the 
pressure  of  the  feet,  and  when  dry  makes  a 
creaking  noise,  which  is  not  very  pleasant. 
When  riddled  by  a small  black  beetle  that 
burrows  in  its  fibres,  it  becomes  unsafe  to 
tread  upon,  and  sometimes  one  breaks  through 
it.  But  by  putting  it,  when  green,  into  water, 
and  keeping  it  submerged  until  it  passes  through 
the  process  of  fermentation,  it  is,  in  a great  meas- 
ure, free  from  the  ravages  of  this  beetle.  The 
many  chinks  in  this  bamboo  floor  offer  conve- 
nient passage  for  the  streams  of  red  saliva  that 
flow  from  the  mouths  of  its  betel-chewing  in- 
mates. 

The  walls  and  roofs  of  these  huts  are  support- 
ed by  posts  set  in  the  ground  some  two  feet  of 
their  length  and  reaching  to  the  plates.  The 
ridge  of  the  roof  also  rests  upon  posts  of  the 


A LAOS  IIOMK. 


500 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


necessary  length.  The  posts  for  the  walls  are 
arranged  according  to  a long-observed  custom. 
They  must  be  in  sets  of  threes  or  fives,  etc.; 
odd  numbers  bring  luck.  The  spaces  between 
each  of  these  sets  of  posts  have  specific  names. 
Religious  superstition  takes  under  its  guidance 
almost  every  part  of  the  work,  and  when  the 
house  is  done  it  still  directs  as  to  the  day  and 
the  manner  of  moving  in  to  take  possession.  No 
doors  or  windows  -are  found  in  the  eastern  wall. 
The  family  sleep  with  their  heads  toward  the 
east.  Part  of  the  main  building — generally  the 
end  facing  south — is  reserved  for  an  open  court. 
The  east  end  of  this  court  has  a wall  continuous 
with  that  of  the  house.  Along  this  wall  is  a 
shelf  upon  which  are  placed  flowers  and  other 
offerings  in  worship  of  Buddha  and  the  good 
spirits.  In  this  outer  court,  if  the  family  are 
religiously  inclined,  the  priests,  by  invitation, 
occasionally  conduct  a merit-making  service  for 
the  prosperity  of  the  household.  In  cases  of 
sickness  like  services  are  held  here.  Prevent- 
ives of  sickness  or  other  calamity  are  often  seen 
resting  on  the  top  of  the  posts  under  the  plate 
that  receives  the  rafters.  These  consist  of  small 
pieces  of  cloth  on  which  are  written  certain  sym- 
bolic characters,  the  cloths  themselves  having  be- 
come charms,  potent  against  the  intrusion  of  evil 
spirits,  through  the  incantations  of  what  our 
American  Indians  would  call  “medicine-men.” 


A LAOS  CABIN. 


501 


To  make  the  cabin  of  the  picture  a copy  of 
the  common  Cheung  Mai  house,  the  stair-ladder 
and  the  southern  wall,  as  seen  there,  must  be  re- 
moved. A platform  from  eight  to  twelve  feet 
wide  must  be  raised  within  a few  inches  as  high 
as  the  floor  of  the  main  building.  This  platform 
must  extend  from  near  the  centre  of  the  house  at 
its  southern  end,  beyond  its  south-western  cor- 
ner, to  give  passage-way  to  the  kitchen.  At  the 
west  end  of  this  platform  stands  a covered  settle 
for  the  earthen  water-pots  which  hold  water  for 
drinking  and  cooking.  The  outer  posts  of  this 
platform  rise  high  enough  to  support  a railing, 
and  a board  on  tO])  of  this  railing  gives  room 
for  earthen  flower-pots  and  for  boxes  of  earth 
in  which  are  growing,  for  family  use,  onions, 
red  pepi^er,  garlic,  etc.  The  floor  of  the  plat- 
form serves  in  daytime  for  drying  betel-nuts  and 
fruit.  At  night,  after  the  heat  of  the  day,  it  fur- 
nishes a j)lace  for  rest  under  the  cooling  sky. 
The  stairs  are  placed  at  the  end  of  this  platform. 
Such  a house  may  be  built  entirely  of  bamboo 
except  the  grass  thatch  required  for  the  roof. 
Neither  hammer  nor  nail  is  needed  for  its  con- 
struction. The  different  parts  are  held  together 
by  thongs  of  split  bamboo  or  ratan.  These  houses 
are  built  at  small  cost.  Very  many  of  them  are 
kept  neat  and  tidy.  And  they  have  their  con- 
veniences. The  writer  had  occasion  to  pay  a 
native  peasant  a considerable  sum  of  money. 


5U2 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


This  m:m,  after  coiiiitiiig  the  rupees  and  testing 
tlieir  genuineness,  one  by  one,  by  poising  it  on 
the  tip  of  his  finger  and  tapping  it  gently  with 
another  rupee,  tied  the  money  up  in  a piece  of 
rag,  and,  rising,  dropped  it  from  the  top  into  the 
hollow  of  one  of  the  posts  that  supported  the  wall 
behind  him.  This  post  gave  him  a perfect  con- 
cealment for  his  treasure.  It  was  his  “ safe,”  an- 
swering the  same  purpose  to  him  that  the  iron 
one,  with  its  intricate  locks,  does  to  the  banker, 
except  that  in  the  case  of  the  Oriental  a stray 
.spark  would  soon  set  his  house  and  his  “safe” 
ablaze  together.  Still,  he  could  linger  near  for 
the  few  moments  it  would  take  the  flame  to  lick 
up  his  house,  and  very  soon  after  he  would  have 
his  silver  rupees,  melted,  it  might  possibly  be, 
into  a common  mass. 

There  is  no  time — nor  is  it  neces.sary — to  speak 
of  the  trees  that  throw  around  and  over  the  houses 
of  the  native  peasantary  their  cool  and  protecting 
shade.  INIany  of  these  houses  are  hidden  away 
among  the  trees,  some  of  which,  for  size,  vie  Avith 
those  of  the  forest.  Among  the  most  beautiful 
of  these  trees  are  clumps  of  bamboo,  from  which 
material  has  been  obtained  for  the  building  or 
repair  of  the  very  houses  which  they  now  en- 
velop in  their  shade. 

The  owners  of  this  little  cabin  seem  busy — and 
happy  as  they  are  busy — at  work.  The  wife  may 
be  cleaning  the  fish  which  her  husband  caught 


A LAOS  CABrX. 


503 


last  night  in  a neighboring  stream  and  brought 
home  in  that  vase-shaped  bamboo  basket  sitting 
behind  her  to  the  right.  If  so,  she  will  string 
them  in  a row  upon  a bamboo  splint,  and  when 
the  fire  is  built  she  will  stick  the  splint  in  the 
ground  near  enough  to  the  fire  to  cook  the  fish. 
The  husband  is  preparing  the  pot  to  cook  or 
steam  the  rice.  A neighbor  woman  was  passing 
along,  and  has  stopped  to  talk  a few  minutes  and 
to  see  the  woman  cleaning  her  fish.  Splint  bas- 
kets of  different  sizes  and  shapes  are  standing 
around  (some  of  them  under  the  dwelling) — 
indications  of  industry  and  thrift. 

There  are  a few  of  these  bamboo  cabins  on  the 
plains  of  Cheung  Mai  which  have  become  vocal 
with  the  prayers  and  praises  of  God’s  people. 
Before  the  gospel  came  to  them  their  inmates 
shared  in  common  with  their  neighbors  the 
transient  joys  of  earth.  For  their  fears  and 
griefs  they  had  no  solace,  either  from  earth 
or  heaven.  Now  the  “ Light  of  life”  shines 
into  their  souls,  and  they  “joy  in  the  Lord 
that  bought  them.”  And,  however  humble 
their  homes  may  be,  however  fragile,  the  Sa- 
viour abides  with  them,  and  is  preparing  them 
for  and  leading  them  to  his  Father’s  house. 
The  light,  too,  is  shining  from  these  Christian 
cabins  to  others  yet  in  darkness.  The  Saviour 
has  purposes  of  mercy  for  other  homes  in  the 
cities  and  villages  of  these  northern  Laos. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 


SUPEliSTITIOXS  OF  THE  LAOS. 

FULL  account  of  the  superstitions  of  the 


Laos  would  very  fairly  rejjresent  their  intel- 
lectual attainments ; their  reasoning  facilities  are 
entirely  in  subjection  to  the  imagination  in  ac- 
counting for  the  most  ordinary  natural  phe- 
nomena; their  reverential  awe  of  supposed 
supernatural  agencies  stands  in  the  place  of 
any  rational  perception  of  natural  causes.  As, 
however,  anything  like  a full  statement  of  their 
superstitions  would  fill  a volume,  nothing  more 
than  a slight  sketch  of  some  of  their  more  com- 
mon superstitions  will  be  attempted  in  this 
chapter. 

It  is  difficult  for  any  one  living  in  a commu- 
nity surrounded  with  all  the  products  of  the 
inventive  genius  of  man,  and  in  the  enjoyment 
of  the  varied  results  of  intellectual  development, 
to  form  any  adequate  conception  of  the  benighted 
condition  of  the  Laos  mind  as  is  indicated  by  a 
statement  of  some  of  the  miserable  absurdities 
entertained  by  them  as  sober  and  fundamental 
truths.  Among  them  we  can  see  examples  in 


604 


SUPERSTITIONS  OF  THE  LAOS. 


505 


tlaily  life  of  those  hideous  spectres  of  superstition 
such  as  served  to  guide  the  pitiful  gropings  of  the 
intellectual  and  moral  life  of  Europe  three  cen- 
turies ago.  The  man  who  should  speak  lightly 
of  necromancy  or  deny  the  existence  of  spirits 
of  every  shade  of  malignity  presiding  over  the 
affairs  of  society,  or  question  the  propriety  of 
cutting  off  the  heads  of  sorcerers,  would  be,  in 
the  ordinary  affairs  of  life,  untrustworthy,  in 
religion  a heretic,  and  in  legislation  a candi- 
date for  the  honor  of  decapitation.  Average 
Laos  credulity — and  the  Laos  are  all  average — 
Avill  accept  any  absurdity,  however  monstrous, 
provided  only  it  be  supernatural.  Consequently, 
any  operation  of  nature  outside  of  the  most  ordi- 
nary is  satisfactorily  accounted  for  by  reference 
to  some  demon  or  spirit,  or  some  other  equally 
plausible  account  is  given  in  explanation  of  the 
phenomenon.  So  the  uprooting  of  a tree  by  a 
hurricane  is  the  work  of  an  enraged  spirit ; an 
earthquake  is  produced  by  an  immense  fish  mov- 
ing its  fins ; while  a horde  of  demons  preside 
over  the  mountains,  the  forests,  the  fields  and 
streams.  A special  divinity  is  supposed  to  pre- 
side over  each  forest,  and  the  hunter  who  collects 
the  honey  of  the  wild  bee  must  make  an  offering 
to  this  divinity  to  ensure  a good  yield  of  honey. 
Indeed,  almost  every  transaction  of  social  or  do- 
mestic life  must  be  effected  with  direct  reference 
to  one  or  another  of  a multitude  of  spirits. 


506 


67.1.1/  AND  LAOS. 


A Ijcios  going  on  a journey  must  liimt  him  ont 
a wise  man,  one  who  can  read,  and  ascertain  a 
lucky  day  for  starting ; this  is  done  by  consult- 
ing a kind  of  astrological  table.  A day  of  the 
week  being  found  to  coincide  properly  with  a 
day  of  the  moon  and  with  the  nativity  of  the 
pilgrim,  offerings  are  duly  made  to  the  spirits,  to 
ensure,  if  not  their  good-will,  at  least  their  neu- 
trality ; then  with  a feeling  of  security  the  jour- 
ney is  undertaken.  No  imaginable  exigency  of 
business  could  induce  a Laos  to  depart  from  this 
method ; and  the  occasional  impetuosity  of  a 
foreigner  arouses  in  a Laotian  a sleepy  kind 
of  compassionate  wonder.  The  commander  en- 
tering upon  a campaign  can  move  only  upon  a 
lucky  day  and  after  making  the  necessary  offer- 
ings, which  is  a ceremony  involving  delay  and 
careful  attention  just  in  proportion  to  the  im- 
portance of  the  expedition.  Traders  traveling 
by  boats  cannot  enter  or  leave  the  mountains 
through  which  the  river  winds  without  a prayer 
and  an  offering  of  wax  tapers,  flowers  and  incense 
to  the  mountain-spirits ; a neglect  of  this  cere- 
mony may  entail  the  loss  of  a boat  in  the  rapids, 
or  indeed  any  calamity. 

V Twice  a year  offerings  are  made  to  the  spirits 
of  the  river  for  having  defiled  the  water  by 
bathing  and  by  throwing  refuse  into  it.  Toy 
boats  and  rafts  are  made,  upon  which  are  placed 
flowers,  betel-nut,  seri-leaf,  incense  and  lighted 


SUrERSTITIONS  OF  THE  LAOS 


507 


tapers;  this  offering  is  a public  cereinoiiy,  and  is 
performed  once  in  the  eleventh  month  and  once 
in  the  twelfth  month,  the  lighted  boats  and  rafts 
making  a very  pretty  illumination  of  the  river. 

When  any  one  is  dangerously  ill,  one  method 
of  appeasing  the  spirits  is  to  make  a miniature 
boat  or  raft,  on  which  are  placed  clay  images, 
rice,  vegetables,  meat,  fruits  and  other  food,  flow- 
ers and  wax  tapers ; the  boat  or  raft  is  placed 
either  upon  the  water  or  in  the  street,  whichever 
is  the  public  highway.  The  .spirits  are  supposed 
to  And  this  food,  etc.  and  accept  the  token  of 
homage. 

For  three  months  of  the  year,  during  Buddhist 
Lent,  lanterns  are  hung  aloft  to  guide  the  spirits 
through  the  air,  and  thus  leave  them  no  excuse 
for  coming  down  in  the  streets.  The  observance 
of  this  custom  is  very  general,  and  is  probably 
so,  partly  at  least,  from  the  fact  of  its  being  a 
very  sickly  season,  diseases  being  supposed  to  be 
due  to  the  spirits. 

During  the  latter  part  of  the  dry  season  (from 
February  to  May)  the  Laos  people  very  relig- 
iously observe  the  various  rites  and  ceremonies 
of  spirit- worship.  This  is  a season  in  which  no 
remunerative  work  for  the  people  at  large  can  be 
engaged  in,  and,  perhaps  in  consequence  of  this, 
the  time  is  occupied  in  various  religious  observ- 
ances, and  these  are  principally  spirit-worship- 


mgs. 


508 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


One  ceremony  whicli  was  originally  peculiar 
to  the  Peguans  (descendants  of  war-captives), 
but  has  been  to  a considerable  extent  adopted 
by  the  Laos,  is  observed  at  this  season.  All  the 
family  connections  join  in  having  a spirit-fes- 
tival. A booth  is  built ; food  and  drink  are 
provided  in  abundance  for  those  who  partici- 
pate in  the  ceremony ; the  booth  is  canopied 
with  white  muslin  supported  by  light  bamboo 
posts,  and  is  open  all  around,  with  arches  made 
of  cocoanut-leaves  ; at  one  side  of  the  booth  is  a 
space  partially  enclosed  with  gay  screens,  in 
which  the  offerings  to  the  spirits  are  placed  on 
a table.  These  offerings  consist  of  food  and 
drink,  also  clothing.  From  the  centre  of  the 
canopy  is  suspended  a white  cotton  sheet.  The 
ceremony  is  a dance  performed  only  by  women, 
who  enter  the  enclosure,  and,  after  partaking 
freely  of  the  food — these  spirits  have  a special 
weakness  for  pork  and  whiskey  — bury  their 
faces  in  the  suspended  sheet  mentioned  above, 
waiting  for  the  descent  of  the  spirit.  The 
dancers  do  not  have  to  wait  long  for  the  en- 
trance of  the  spirit,  for  the  whiskey  has  made 
them  very  sensitive  to  the  spirit-influence ; when 
the  spirit  has  entered  the  medium  begins  to  sway 
her  body  to  and  fro  and  to  gesticulate  with  the 
hands  and  arms,  after  the  fashion  of  Laos  dan- 
cing, to  the  music  of  a Laos  orchestra.  Laos 
music  is  appropriate  to  such  an  occasion,  for  it 


SUPERSTITIONS  OF  THE  LAOS. 


509 


is  a combination  of  agonizing  sounds  wliich  for 
liarslmess  cannot  perhaps  be  excelled.  The 
spirits  seem  to  have  thirsted  for  a year,  for  the 
fair  dancers  make  frequent  visits  to  the  whiskey, 
and  even  affectionately  take  a bottle  in  each 
hand  and  dance  around  with  them,  never  neg- 
lecting to  administer  to  the  insatiable  thirst  of 
the  spirit.  After  attaining  to  an  advanced  stage 
of  intoxication  the  dancers  array  themselves  in 
the  costumes  provided  for  the  spirits — usually 
articles  of  men’s  clothing — and,  arming  them- 
selves with  swords  and  spears,  they  stagger  after 
intruders  or  acquaintances,  Avho,  if  caught,  must 
engage  in  the  dance.  This  unseemly  revelry 
continues  from  early  morn  until  dark,  the  Laos 
band  rendering  the  one  favorite  air  without 
ceasing,  except  to  take  an  occasional  draught  of 
the  beverage  sacred  to  the  spirits. 

While  the  Laos  believe  that  the  universe  is 
controlled  by  spirits,  their  belief  in  magic  im- 
plies that  certain  persons  can  command  the  serv- 
ices of  some  of  the  spirits  to  accomplish  the 
darkest  designs.  No  superstition  is  more  gen- 
eral throughout  Siam  and  Laos  than  the  belief 
in  magic.  Among  the  Laos  it  is  supposed  that 
a sorcerer  can  command  a spirit  to  assume  the 
form  of  an  insect,  which,  flying  against  the 
person  whose  destruction  is  intended,  enters  him 
and  is  transformed  usually  into  a buffalo  hide, 
though  it  may  assume  after  entering  the  body  of 


510 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


the  victim  any  form,  according  to  the  will  of  the 
sorcerer.  The  Siamese  very  generally  believe 
that  the  Laos  possess  this  occult  power,  and 
the  Laos,  knowing  little  concerning  it,  credit 
the  Karens  and  other  mountain-tribes  with  it. 
About  two  years  ago  two  Karens  were  brought 
to  the  city  of  Cheung  Mai  by  some  of  their 
neighbors,  charged  with  having  caused  the  death 
of  a young  man  by  enchantment.  The  case  was 
very  clear  against  the  accused.  The  young  man 
hatl  a musical  instrument  which  these  Karens 
wished  to  purchase ; the  owner  refused  to  sell  it, 
and  a short  time  afterward  he  became  ill,  and 
died,  I believe,  on  the  fourteenth  day  of  his 
illness ; at  his  cremation  a portion  of  his  body 
would  not  burn  and  was  of  a shape  similar  to 
the  musical  instrument.  Thus  it  was  clear  that 
his  death  had  been  caused  by  a spirit  entering 
his  body  and  taking  the  form  of  the  coveted 
musical  instrument.  The  Karens  were  behead- 
ed, j)rotesting  that  they  were  innocent  of  the 
crime  charged  against  them,  and  threatening  that 
their  spirits  should  return  and  wreak  vengeance 
for  their  unjust  punishment.  It  is  but  just  to 
add  that  cases  of  this  kind  are  not  of  frequent 
occurrence. 

These  nightmares  of  the  Laos  imagination  are 
almost  incredible  to  us,  though  they  are  terrible 
realities  to  them. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 


TREATMENT  OF  THE  SICK. 

rilHE  treatment  of  the  sick  among  the  Laos 
-L  ranks  as  a distinct  profession.  Although 
the  Laos  doctors  may  not  have  classified  their 
knowledge  of  diseases  in  a way  that  we  should 
call  scientific,  and  although  a white  foreigner 
might  be  so  unsolicitous  of  his  own  bodily  wel- 
fare as  to  prefer  the  chance  of  nature  to  the  pro- 
fessional skill  of  the  whole  Laos  faculty,  still, 
their  system  of  medicine  is  quite  an  extensive 
one  and  embraces  some  very  abstruse  subjects. 
The  Laos  doctors  are  not  required  to  have  a di- 
ploma and  do  not  attend  any  medical  school,  nor 
do  they,  as  a rule,  serve  an  apprenticeship ; they 
just  take  to  doctoring  naturally.  Some  of  them 
are  widely  known  as  successful  general  practi- 
tioners; others  gain  considerable  notoriety  in  the 
treatment  of  certain  diseases  and  become  special- 
ists of  wide  reputation.  Some  three  or  four  med- 
ical books,  treating  of  the  mysteries  of  vital  phe- 
nomena and  learnedly  elucidating  the  doctrine 
of  the  four  elements,  enrich  Laos  literature ; 
these  classic  volumes  also  contain  invaluable 

oil 


512 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


formiilaB,  and  the  doctor  who  is  so  fortunate  as 
to  own  one  of  these  books  is  held  in  high  repute 
for  his  sujjerior  learning,  notwithstanding  he  may 
not  be  able  to  decipher  a line  of  it.  Practically, 
the  Laos,  so  far  as  the  average  doctor  is  con- 
cerned, have  no  medical  treatises. 

The  Laos  are  without  a definite  knowledge 
of  any  of  the  organs  or  functions  of  the  human 
body ; no  Harvey  or  Sylvius  has  ever  arisen 
among  them.  All  of  their  theories  concerning 
the  bodily  functions  and  the  four  elements  are 
merely  philosophic  guesses.  Imagination  has 
taken  the  place  of  reason  and  experiment. 
Speculation  furnishes  them  with  a satisfactory 
solution  of  the  problem,  “ Why  is  it  that  instead 
of  flesh  (muscles)  only,  tendons  are  found  in  the 
human  body?” 

The  Laos  divide  diseases  into  two  classes.  The 
first  class  includes  all  those  disorders  which  may 
be  considered  as  simply  disturbances  of  equilib- 
rium caused  by  an  undue  preponderance  or  dim- 
inution of  one  of  the  four  elements — wind,  fire, 
earth  and  water ; the  second  class  embraces  all 
those  more  serious  disorders  of  the  human  sys- 
tem which  are  due  directly  or  indirectly  to  the 
influence  of  ofiended  spirits. 

The  Laos  materia  medica  embraces  a consider- 
able variety  of  medicines,  nearly  every  one  of 
which  is  supposed  to  be  a speciflc  in  some  dis- 
ease; and,  although  his  ideas  of  the  medicinal 


TREATMENT  OF  THE  SICK. 


513 


qualities  of  tliese  drugs  may  be  entirely  theoret- 
ical, not  to  say  fanciful,  the  Laos  doctor  admin- 
isters them  just  as  freely  as  if  he  had  experi- 
mentally demonstrated  their  physiological  j)rop- 
erties.  The  bones,  teeth,  hlood  and  gall  of  the 
tiger,  bear,  elephant,  rhinoceros  and  crocodile 
are  among  the  most  highly-esteemed  remedies ; 
besides  their  specific  curative  properties,  these 
medicines  impart  the  courage  of  the  tiger,  the 
stability,  dignity  and  longevity  of  the  elephant, 
the  solemnity  and  tranquillity  of  the  crocodile, 
the  equanimity,  contentment  and  philosophic  in- 
difference to  external  things  and  other  virtues 
characteristic  of  the  rhinoceros.  Likewise,  they 
eat  the  bones  of  the  raven  to  protect  them  from 
evil  spirits,  and  perhaps  also  to  enable  them  to 
eat  with  impunity  and  relish  of  any  dish ; it  is 
to  be  feared  that  certain  purloining  instincts  of 
this  bird  have  been  communicated  in  this  way! 

Patient  observation  and  intelligent  experi- 
mental investigation  are  entirely  unknown  to 
the  Laos  medicine-man  ; it  is  doubtful  if  he  has, 
either  hy  intelligent  experiment  or  by  accident, 
arrived  at  one  solitary  verifiable  fact  either  in 
physiology  or  therapeutics ; satisfied  with  his 
supposed  stock  of  knowledge,  he  has  no  desire 
to  increase  it. 

When  called  to  see  a patient  the  Laos  doctor 
states  authoritatively  what  the  ailment  is;  then 
proceeds  to  prepare  a dose  of  medicine,  which 

33 


514 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


process  it  is  interesting  to  watch.  Seating  him- 
self upon  a mat  on  the  floor,  he  calls  for  the 
medicine-stone — a block  of  fine  sandstone  kept 
in  nearly  every  house — and  upon  it  rubs  his 
drugs,  which  are  carried  in  the  crude  form. 
The  dose  is  composed  of  indefinite  proportions 
of  various  roots,  herbs  and  minerals,  the  teeth, 
bones,  blood  and  gall  of  the  tiger,  bear,  crocodile, 
etc.,  egg-shells,  and  anything  else  that  the  doc- 
tor may  have ; for,  perhaps  with  a view  to  alter- 
native conditions,  he  uses  a portion  of  every  drug 
he  has,  thus  leaving  slim  chances  of  any  unrec- 
ognized or  latent  symptom  remaining  untouched. 
The  portions  of  the  various  drugs  worn  off  by 
these  rubbings  are  carefully  washed  into  an 
earthen  vessel,  and  water  to  the  amount  of  about 
half  a gallon  is  added;  this  makes  one  dose,  or, 
in  case  the  patient  is  not  strong  enough  or  is  not 
of  sufficient  capacity,  the  medicine  is  to  be  ad- 
ministered in  small  doses — say  half  a pint  or  so — 
every  half  hour.  This  kind  of  treatment  is  con- 
tinued for  two  or  three  days,  or,  if  the  patient  is 
exceptionally  vigorous,  it  may  continue  longer,  a 
neAv  doctor  usually  taking  charge  of  the  patient 
on  each  succeeding  day.  The  attending  physi- 
cian usually  remains  by  his  patient  day  and 
night  until  it  is  decided  to  call  in  another  doc- 
tor  or  until  convalescence  is  established.  If  the 
patient  grows  worse,  two  or  three  doctors  are 
called  in  during  the  day,  each  one  promising  to 


TREATMENT  OF  THE  SICK. 


515 


effect  a cure,  and  each  in  turn  is  dismissed  if  an 
immediate  improvement  is  not  evident.  This  is 
continued  until  the  exhausted  sufferer  no  longer 
tosses  to  and  fro,  but  lies  unconscious,  breathing 
hard,  the  patient  watching  of  the  fond  mother 
or  sister  is  nearly  over,  the  anxious  pleading 
whisper  is  hushed,  and  the  death-wail  tells  that 
another  home  is  desolate,  another  soul  seeks  its 
eternal  destiny. 

As  already  mentioned,  the  Laos  imagine  many 
diseases  to  be  caused  by  spirits.  Those  diseases 
which  are  peculiarly  fatal,  and  over  which  they 
can  exercise  little  or  no  control,  are  supposed  to 
be  due  to  agencies  outside  of  nature.  This  be- 
lief encourages  a disposition  to  neglect  the  inves- 
tigation of  natural  causes  and  to  multiply  the  in- 
stances of  supposed  supernatural  manifestations. 
Thus  the  appeal  to  the  supernatural  to  account 
for  those  deadly  diseases  so  common  in  tropical 
climates  strengthens  and  extends  the  supersti- 
tious belief  which  alone  furnishes  this  interpre- 
tation of  the  mysterious  phenomena  of  nature. 
This  tendency  to  bring  the  intellectual  faculties 
under  subjection  to  the  imagination  is,  of  course, 
not  limited  to  the  realm  of  diseases,  for  every  ex- 
traordinary phenomenon  is  supposed  to  be  shper- 
natural.  The  prevalence  of  fatal  diseases  and 
the  frequency  of  epidemics  secure  this  strong- 
hold of  superstition;  any  scheme  which  has  for 
its  object  the  elevation  and  enlightenment,  the 


516 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


religious  and  intellectual  regeneration,  of  the 
Laos  must  include  efficient  medical  work,  for  in 
no  other  way  can  these  suj^erstitions  be  more  im- 
mediately affected  than  by  the  rational  treatment 
of  diseases. 

This  belief  in  the  supernatural  causation  of 
diseases  is  not  confined  to  those  disorders  which 
are  of  rare  occurrence : many  forms  of  disease 
of  every-day  occurrence  are  attributed  to  spirits. 
Ilheumatisni  is  said  to  be  caused  by  a “swamp- 
spirit;”  the  treatment  for  it  might  be  said  to  be 
more  surgical  than  medical.  When  a person  is 
afflicted  with  a swamp-spirit,  the  doctor  takes  an 
axe  or  a large  knife  and  draws  the  edge  of  it 
along  the  affected  part,  without,  however,  touch- 
ing it,  at  the  same  time  advising  the  spirit  to  re- 
turn to  its  former  abode. 

Epileptic  seizures  are  supposed  to  be  due  to 
spirits,  and  the  proper  treatment  is  for  two  or 
ihore  men  to  stand  upon  the  thighs  and  pelvis 
of  the  unfortunate  sufferer,  and  so  prevent  the 
entrance  of  the  spirit  into  some  of  the  vital  or- 
gans. This  plan  is  said  to  be  quite  successful,  as 
many  patients  so  treated  have  recovered. 

The  absurdities  of  superstitious  belief  among 
the  Laos  might  be  multiplied  indefinitely : these 
instances  are,  however,  sufficient.  Impressed 
with  a sense  of  their  utter  helplessness  in  deal- 
ing with  those  mysterious  agencies  which  are  so 
hostile  to  them,  they  invariably  conclude  that 


TREATMENT  OF  THE  SICK. 


517 


man  is  subject  to  the  government  of  invisible 
and  malignant  beings  of  whom  he  can  know 
nothing,  and  whose  anger,  when  aroused,  no 
merely  material  agencies  can  appease.  So  in 
every  case  of  sickness  offerings  must  be  made 
to  the  offended  spirits ; readings  from  the  sacred 
books  and  prayers  must  be  rehearsed. 

These  beliefs,  however,  as  long  as  they  remain 
general  and  theoretical,  are  mild  in  their  effects 
in  comparison  with  another  superstition  of  the 
Laos,  which  I must  not  fail  to  mention.  Aban- 
doning the  vague  and  general,  in  this  supersti- 
tion their  belief  becomes  terribly  specific : they 
imagine  that  the  spirit  or  essence  of  one  living 
person  may  enter  the  body  of  another  person  and 
inflict  serious  injuries,  and,  unless  expelled,  even 
destroy  life ; furthermore,  they  can  ascertain 
whose  spirit  it  is.  This  kind  of  spirit  they 
term  Pee  K'a.  Hysteria,  delirium,  variation  of 
surface  temperature  are  among  the  symptoms 
supposed  to  indicate  this  kind  of  possession. 
The  treatment  is  a specialty,  and  the  doctors 
who  understand  these  cases  gain  great  notoriety 
and  are  sent  for  from  far  and  near  to  exorcise 
the  spirits.  The  exorcism  involves  a practice 
full  of  savage  cruelty  to  the  patient  and  of  bar- 
barous injustice  to  the  unfortunate  neighbor 
whose  spirit  is  accused  of  having  entered  the 
patient.  I had  repeatedly  requested  permission 
to  witness  an  investigation  of  one  of  these  cases, 


518 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


and  at  last  had  an  opportunity.  I learned  that 
the  patient  had  some  months  ago  suffered  from  a 
protracted  illness  (probably  typhoid  fever),  and 
during  her  illness  had  lost  the  power  of  speech. 
She  recovered  gradually  and  became  quite  well 
and  strong,  but  was  still  unable  to  speak.  One 
day  she  went  with  a jjarty  of  children  to  a tem- 
ple, and  while  there  spoke  a few  words  more  or 
less  distinctly ; her  companions  became  alarmed 
and  ran  home.  Supposing  the  case  to  be  one  of 
witchcraft,  the  owner  (the  girl  was  a slave)  sent 
for  the  spirit-doctor ; three  of  these  specialists 
were  present  when  I reached  the  place.  After 
asking  some  questions  concerning  the  previous 
illness  of  the  patient,  a consultation  was  in  order, 
the  most  important  feature  of  which  seemed  to 
be  the  drinking  of  a bowl  of  arrack  (whiskey 
distilled  from  rice)  ; these  spirit-doctors  took 
frequent  and  jjrolonged  draughts ; they  drank 
as  if  to  slake  an  ancient  thirst.  I thought  they 
liked  it,  but  I was  informed  that  the  learned 
doctors  drank  simply  in  order  to  facilitate  their 
communication  with  the  spirit,  and  that  the 
chances  were  that  they  did  not  like  the  taste 
of  whiskey. 

Having  at  length  decided  upon  a suitable 
line  of  action,  the  doctors  proceeded  to  the 
investigation  of  the  case.  The  most  emi- 
nent of  the  doctors — at  least  the  one  who  had 
consumed  the  most  whiskey  — took  a tiger’s 


TREATMENT  OF  THE  SICK. 


519 


tooth,  and,  muttering  some  gibberish,  drew  it 
along  the  side  and  back  of  the  patient,  leaving 
deep  scratches ; the  patient,  unable  to  speak,  of 
course  writhed  and  struggled.  At  length,  after 
a deeper  incision  (which  drew  the  blood),  the 
patient  uttered  an  audible  cry ; this  sound  was 
interpreted  by  the  ferocious,  drunken  spirit- 
doctors  to  indicate  the  situation  of  the  spirit. 
With  a vigorous  thrust  in  the  side,  while  his 
assistant,  thinking  he  had  discovered  the  spirit 
in  another  region,  was  equally  attentive,  the 
chief  inquisitor  with  foul  and  abusive  language 
ordered  the  spirit  to  leave.  The  exorcism  was 
a failure,  and  the  spirit  refused  to  make  itself 
known,  though  pressingly  flattered  to  do  so  by 
the  persuasive  and  forcible  eloquence  of  these 
three  drunken,  demoniac  savages. 

In  these  investigations  any  injury  inflicted  is 
directed  against  the  spirit,  and  any  answers  to 
questions  asked  by  the  doctor  or  the  friends  of 
the  patient  are  supposed  to  proceed  from  the 
spirit ; so  the  doctor  asks  the  name  of  the  spirit, 
and  the  patient,  if  conscious  or  partly  so,  will, 
in  order  to  escape  torture,  give  the  name  of  some 
acquaintance,  j^robably  some  near  and  intimate 
neighbor ; for  usually  some  suspicion  will  have 
been  expressed.  The  name  of  some  one  having- 
been  mentioned  by  the  patient,  various  questions 
concerning  the  domestic  relations  of  the  family 
of  the  person  named  are  asked,  such  as  the  names 


620 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


of  all  the  members  of  the  family,  the  number  of 
cattle  they  own,  the  amount  of  money  they  have, 
and  sundry  other  questions  concerning  things 
supposed  to  be  known  only  to  members  of  the 
family.  If  to  all  these  questions  satisfactory  an- 
swers are  given,  the  person  whose  name  is  men- 
tioned is  accused  of  witchcraft,  and,  together  with 
all  his  family,  all  in  the  house,  must  leave  the 
neighborhood ; everything  belonging  to  them, 
except  such  articles  as  can  be  easily  removed, 
is  committed  to  the  flames ; they  cannot  sell 
their  gardens  nor  rice-fields  nor  any  other  pos- 
session, since  no  one  will  risk  the  supposed 
contamination.  The  accused  cannot  settle  in 
any  adjoining  neighborhood,  but  must  go  as 
strangers  into  some  distant  province  occupied 
only  by  others  like  themselves  driven  from 
their  homes  upon  charges  of  witchcraft.  All 
the  accumulations  of  a lifetime  of  thrift  and 
economy  may  at  any  time  be  sacrificed  to  the 
whims  of  this  blind  credulity..  This  supersti- 
tion is  one  of  the  greatest  social  evils ; indeed, 
it  entails  more  serious  injury  than  all  other  be- 
liefs and  practices  combined.  No  one  receives 
any  benefit  from  it ; it  is  purely  destructive. 
Hundreds  of  families  are  yearly  driven  from 
their  homes  in  obedience  to  the  requirements 
of  this  degrading  prostitution  of  the  human 
intellect. 


MEDICAL  MISSIONARY  WORK. 


521 


Medical  Missionary  Work  among  the 
Laos. 

Since  the  establishment  of  the  Cheung  Mai 
mission  in  1867  the  missionaries  have  made  the 
care  of  the  sick  a part  of  their  regular  work. 
Dr.  Vroonian  was  the  first  missionary  physician 
sent  to  Cheung  Mai ; he  was  compelled,  on  ac- 
count of  his  health,  to  leave  there  in  1873,  hav- 
ing remained  only  about  two  years.  Dr.  Vroo- 
man’s  successor  arrived  in  Cheung  Mai  in  the 
spring  of  1875.  During  the  six  months  ending 
Sept.  30,  1875,  about  six  hundred  patients  re- 
ceived treatment  of  the  foreign  doctor.  The 
work  has  increased  steadily  since  that  time;  in 
the  year  ending  Sept.  30,  1882,  thirteen  thou- 
sand persons  received  treatment.  This  increase 
in  seven  years  from  about  one  thousand  to  thir- 
teen thousand  a year  indicates  that  the  work  of 
the  medical  missionary  supplies  a demand. 

Because  of  having  no  hospital  accommodations, 
the  work  has  been  chiefly  dispensary  work,  while 
as  many  as  could  be  personally  attended  have 
been  visited  at  their  homes.  Notwithstanding 
this  large  increase  in  the  number  of  patients 
treated,  the  results  of  the  medical  work  have 
not  been  very  gratifying.  The  difficulties  with 
which  one  has  to  struggle  in  dispensary  work 
or  house  visitation  are  so  great  as  to  render  any 
effort  almost  devoid  of  satisfactory  results  from 


522 


SLLM  .liVi)  LAOS. 


a professional  point  of  view ; and,  obviously,  the 
conditions  which  interfere  with  the  medical  work 
will  also  interfere  with  the  missionary  work ; in 
fact,  what  are  molehills  in  the  former  become 
mountains  in  the  latter. 

The  houses  of  the  Laos  are  located  and  built 
in  violation  of  all  hygienic  considerations,  and  in 
addition  to  the  counteracting  influences  arising 
from  the  imperfect  sanitary  surroundings,  the 
foreign  physician  has  to  contend  against  persist- 
ent meddlesome  interference  with  his  directions ; 
and  in  this  contention  he  wages  a losing  warfare, 
for  he  has  arrayed  against  him  that  influence 
which  is  so  potent  everywhere  — namely,  the 
j^restige  of  ancient  superstitions  sanctioned  by 
ignorance  and  custom.  In  the  treatment  of  dis- 
eases the  skill  of  the  most  competent  physician 
is  of  no  avail  without  the  faithful  and  skillful 
execution  of  his  orders,  which  can  be  accom- 
plished alone  by  an  intelligent  and  sympathiz- 
ing nurse — I might  rather  say,  a trained  nurse. 
The  foreign  physician  is  usually  sent  for  as  a last 
resort,  and  is  simply  expected  to  perform  a mira- 
cle ; and  unless  he  in  a measure  satisfies  the  wild- 
est requirements  he  is  pronounced  a failure,  and 
his  presence  is  considered  as  rather  an  intrusion 
and  a source  of  mischief ; for  he  forbids  cere- 
monies which  are  supposed  to  be  essential  to  the 
welfare  of  the  household,  a neglect  of  which  may 
occasion  both  immediate  and  remote  disaster. 


MEDICAL  MISSIONARY  WORK.  . 


523 


Although  spirit-worship  and  other  religious  ob- 
servances are  of  paramount  importance  in  their 
homes,  they  willingly  neglect  them  when  treated 
upon  our  own  premises. 

Upon  entering  a sick  chamber  the  physician 
finds  the  air  almost  suffocating,  and  must  conduct 
his  examination  by  the  dim  light  of  a small  wax 
taper,  for  in  the  construction  of  a Laos  house 
the  principal  object  to  be  attained  seems  to  be 
the  utter  exclusion  of  light,  there  being  no  doors 
or  windows  except  the  necessary  entrance.  The 
examination  concluded,  the  physician  gives  his 
directions  concerning  the  management  of  the 
patient  and  goes  his  way,  with  the  assurance 
that  his  instructions  will  be  regarded  by  the 
friends  of  the  patient  as  of  some  importance 
or  as  utterly  insignificant,  just  according  to 
their  own  views  of  the  case. 

Dispensary  work  is  equally  unsatisfactory. 
The  friends  of  the  patients  come  to  the  dis- 
pensary and  describe  as  well  as  they  can  the 
most  obvious  symptoms,  and  from  the  informa- 
tion obtained  in  this  exceedingly  unsatisfactory 
way  an  opinion  as  to  the  nature  of  the  patient’s 
ailment  must  be  arrived  at  and  a prescription 
made.  The  results  of  such  a method  could  not 
be  otherwise  than  unsatisfactory  even  with  intel- 
ligent nursing  and  a faithful  observance  of  direc- 
tions. As  to  the  nursing  of  the  sick  among  the 
Laos,  it  is  sufficient  to  state  that  it  is  such  as  to 


524 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


seriously  compromise  any  favorable  tendencies, 
and  the  directions  given  by  the  physician  are 
usually  subject  to  any  amendments  that  may  be 
suggested  by  the  inclinations  of  the  patient  or 
the  opinions  of  nurses  or  friends.  If  supposed 
to  be  seriously  ill,  the  patient  is  visited  by  a 
throng  of  relatives,  friends  and  acquaintances, 
and  is  disturbed  by  a ceaseless  hum  of  voices; 
elderly  ladies  entertain  one  another  at  the  bed- 
side of  the  patient  with  the  fullest  accounts  of 
the  nature,  course,  duration  and  proper  treatment 
of  similar  cases  which  they  have  witnessed,  some 
of  them  relating  the  circumstances  of  the  mar- 
velous cures  effected  by  some  skillful  doctor 
while  others  dwell  upon  the  melancholy  im- 
port of  the  symptoms. 

Having  concluded  his  daily  routine  of  dispen- 
sary work,  the  foreign  doctor  makes  his  second 
visit  to  his  patient.  Arrived  at  the  house,  he 
probably  finds  it  filled  with  the  relatives  and 
friends  of  the  patient,  all  devoutly  attending  a 
reading  from  the  Buddhist  scriptures  by  a priest 
or  a number  of  priests,  according  to  the  means 
of  the  patient;  long  prayers  and  chants  are 
rehearsed,  sacred  water  is  sprinkled  over  the 
patient,  offerings  of  flowers  and  wax  tapers  are 
made  to  the  household  spirits.  After  this  cere- 
mony, which  lasts  for  several  hours,  the  patient 
passes  into  the  hands  of  a native  doctor. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 


A TOUR  IN  THE  LAOS  COUNTRY. 

This  journey  was  made  by  G.  W.  Vrooman,  M.  D.,  and  the 
Rev.  Mr.  McGilvary  in  1872,  to  ascertain,  in  a portion  of  the 
East  but  little  known  to  us,  the  size  and  comparative  im- 
portance of  the  Laos  chief  cities  and  villages  in  reference 
to  missionary  work,  to  preach  the  gospel,  and  to  observe  the 
disposition  of  the  authorities  and  people  toward  foreigners, 
especially  toward  teachers  of  the  Christian  religion. 

DUHING  the  early  part  of  the  dry  season  our 
time  had  been  so  occupied  that  it  was  not  till 
after  the  first  heavy  showers  of  the  rainy  season 
had  fallen  that  we  decided  to  go.  Our  journey,  in 
consequence,  was  hurriedly  made,  and  the  time  we 
remained  in  different  cities  was  barely  sufficient 
to  allow  us  opportunity  to  accomplish  our  objects 
satisfactorily  to  ourselves.  At  our  stopping- 
places  the  gospel  was  preached  and  a few  books 
were  distributed — few,  because  we  had  no  more. 
We  visited  the  authorities,  made  known  the  ob- 
ject of  our  journey  through  their  country,  and 
endeavored  to  ascertain  the  leading  features  rela- 
tive to  their  provinces,  their  population,  extent, 
etc.,  and  to  judge  whether  sufficient  encourage- 

525 


526 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


inent  was  offered  to  repeat  the  visit  at  some 
future  time. 

After  deciding  upon  the  expediency  of  the 
tour  we  were  for  some  time  in  doubt  whether 
it  would  be  wise  to  go  at  that  season  of  the  year. 
Foreign  residents  of  this  country  consider  it  un- 
safe to  travel  during  the  rainy  season,  and  even 
the  natives  fear  long  journeys  through  the  for- 
ests. The  jungle  is  the  home  of  a multitude  of 
savage  beasts,  but  these  are  not  more  dreadful 
than  its  malaria. 

After  engaging  our  elephants  we  went  to  the 
king  for  a jjassport.  Had  this  been  refused  us 
we  could  not  have  gone.  He,  however,  very  cor- 
dially furnished  us  with  one,  and  wished  us  a 
prosperous  journey.  This  passport  was  so  word- 
ed that  we  were  to  travel  as  his  guests,  and  yet 
to  go  for  the  purpose  of  teaching  the  Christian 
religion,  healing  the  sick,  etc.  It  was  so  worded, 
I believe,  out  of  deference  to  our  request,  and  not 
from  any  special  interest  in  our  work.  We  were 
furnished  with  the  kind  of  passport  given  to  cer- 
tain Siamese  officers  who  are  here  occasionally, 
or  to  their  own  princes  when  required  to  visit  a 
neighboring  province ; and  because  it  is  custom- 
ary to  state  the  object  of  their  journey  in  a pass- 
port there  occurred  the  anomaly  of  a Buddhist 
king  sending  men  forth  to  preach  the  Christian 
religion  under  his  protection.  I may  add  here 
that  after  we  had  gone  an  officer  of  the  Siamese 


A TOUR  IN  THE  LAOS  COUNTRY. 


527 


government  here  at  the  time,  reproved  the  king 
sharply  for  having  allowed  us  to  go.  I think  the 
Siamese  are  jealous  of  the  visits  of  foreigners  to 
their  distant  provinces.  A few  years  ago  Cam- 
bodia was  won  from  its  allegiance  by  the  French. 
By  many  of  the  natives  we  are  believed  to  be 
political  agents  acting  in  behalf  of  England  or 
of  some  foreign  power. 

Our  preparations  for  the  journey  were  soon 
completed.  Perhaps  the  most  important  articles 
in  our  outfit  were  medicines.  With  our  letter  we 
need  not  have  taken  money  in  our  purses,  but  no 
script  from  any  earthly  potentate  can  give  such 
security  against  malaria  as  a few  grains  of  qui- 
nine, and  no  person  is  safe  in  this  country  during 
the  rainy  season  without  it.  Besides  medicines 
and  money  to  pay  our  way,  we  took  a small  sup- 
ply of  canned  provisions — only  enough,  however, 
for  use  in  case  of  sickness,  as  our  food  was  to  be 
procured  on  the  way.  It  was  necessary  to  take 
as  little  baggage  as  possible.  A tent,  blankets 
and  a few  extra  articles  of  clothing,  books,  cook- 
ing utensils,  guns  and  ammunition,  about  com- 
pleted our  outfit.  We  had  four  elephants,  two 
of  which  were  reserved  for  baggage.  We  had 
also  an  escort  of  six  natives,  besides  those  who 
accompanied  the  elephants — fourteen  in  all. 

After  commending  ourselves  and  those  we  left 
to  the  care  of  God,  we  set  out  at  noon,  April 
15th,  on  our  journey.  Elephant-traveling  is 


528 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


slow,  scarcely  averaging  two  miles  per  hour. 
Our  course  for  the  first  hundred  miles  lay  to- 
ward the  north-east.  The  level  country  over 
which  we  first  passed  is  occupied  by  a rural  pop- 
ulation. Our  road,  for  the  first  ten  or  twelve 
miles,  was  through  rice-fields.  Here  and  there 
we  could  see  small  hamlets,  whose  sites  were 
marked  hy  graceful  palm  trees.  Narrow  strips 
of  forest,  extending  in  irregular  curves,  joined 
the  difierent  villages  and  formed  the  near  bound- 
ary of  our  horizon.  They  marked  the  course  of 
small  streams  and  irrigating  canals.  After  six 
hours’  travel  we  left  the  plain  for  the  mountain- 
country,  but  two  hours  before  doing  so  we  had 
entered  the  forest.  Thenceforth,  till  we  reached 
Muang-Pau,  a small  village  eight  days’  journey 
distant,  we  saw  no  houses,  save  in  a small  ham- 
let of  thirty  or  forty  inhabitants  at  “ Boiling 
Springs.”  Our  route,  a main  road  traveled  over 
betwixt  Cheung  Mai,  Cheung  Bai  and  Cheung 
Toong,  was  merely  an  elephant-path  through  a 
dense  forest.  On  Sabbath,  while  encamped  near 
a small  stream  in  this  forest,  we  met  Saan-ya- 
wee-Chai,  the  native  Christian  whose  home  is  in 
Muang-Pau.  He  was  on  his  way  to  Lampoon. 
It  was  our  intention  to  visit  him  at  his  home, 
but  Providence  directed  his  steps  to  us.  He  ex- 
cused himself  for  traveling  on  Sunday  by  saying 
that  he  was  not  well  instructed  in  the  duties  and 
observances  of  the  Christian  religion,  and  that 


CAMPING  IN  A LAOS  FOKEST. 


030 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


also  lie  was  in  company  with  those  who  would 
not  stop. 

After  eleven  days  from  home  we  arrived  at 
Cheung  Rai.  This  is  a small  city  of  three  hun- 
dred houses,  population  between  two  and  three 
thousand.  It  is  in  the  province  of  Cheung  Mai, 
and  its  chief  officers  receive  their  appointment 
from  the  chief  or  king  of  this  place.  It  is  situ- 
ated on  the  banks  of  the  Ma-Kok,  fifty  or  sixty 
miles  from  where  that  river  joins  the  Ma-Kawng 
(or  Catnbodia)  River.  The  large  plain  outside 
of  the  walls  of  the  city  is  but  thinly  populated. 
The  people  are  mostly  fishermen.  Only  a small 
portion  of  the  surrounding  country  is  under  cul- 
tivation, hence  there  are  but  few  villages  in  its 
vicinity.  Here  we  dismissed  our  elejihants,  and 
by  noon  on  the  following  day  had  completed  our 
preparations  for  the  river-journey.  During  our 
delay  there  Mr.  McGilvary  was  occupied  with 
the  numbers  of  people  who  visited  us  at  our 
sala,  preaching  the  gospel,  distributing  from 
our  supply  of  Siamese  books  to  those  who 
could  read,  and  gathering  information  con- 
cerning the  country. 

We  set  out  again  as  soon  as  onr  boat  and  men 
were  ready.  Our  passage  down  the  Ma-Kok  to 
the  Cambodia  River  occupied  two  days,  during 
which  time  we  passed  four  or  five  small  villages 
of  twenty  or  thirty  houses  each.  These  were 
near  to  Cheung  Rai,  within  three  hours’  journey 


A TOUR  IN  THE  LAOS  COUNTRY. 


531 


of  it.  We  spent  our  Sabbath  on  a sandy  bank 
of  this  river,  as  we  did  the  preceding  one,  many 
miles  away  from  human  habitations.  In  the 
morning  we  discovered  tracks  of  a large  tiger 
near  our  boat.  These  fierce  brutes  are  quite 
numerous  throughout  the  country.  For  mu- 
tual protection  against  their  attacks,  and  the 
more  dreaded  depredations  of  robbers,  nearly 
all  the  people  of  this  country  reside  in  villages 
or  congregate  in  larger  numbers  in  cities.  The 
Kamoos,  a mountain-tribe  of  people,  inhabitants 
of  this  country  at  an  earlier  period  than  the 
Laos,  form  an  exception  to  this  rule.  More 
about  them  hereafter. 

Near  the  mouth  of  the  Ma-Kok  is  a moun- 
tain by  the  Laos  called  Doi-Prabat-Rua,  or 
“sacred  feet  and  boat.”  It  is  considered  a 
holy  place,  and  many  pilgrims  go  thither  seek- 
ing to  make  merit.  It  does  not  have,  like  the 
mountain  of  a similar  name  in  Siam,  an  impres- 
sion of  a foot  in  its  rock.  Its  object  of  venera- 
tion is  an  unfinished  stone  boat.  The  legend  of 
the  people  is  that  Gotama  Buddha  commenced 
to  hew  out  of  the  solid  rock  a boat  which  was  to 
be  about  thirty  feet  in  length.  It  was  left  when 
about  half  finished,  and  remains  an  ol)ject  of 
superstitious  veneration,  if  not  of  worship.  Few 
if  any  Laos  will  pass  it  without  fervently  raising 
the  folded  hands  toward  it  and  murmuring  a 
prayer. 


532 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


We  stopped  a day  at  Ban  Saao,  a small  village 
on  the  Cambodia  River,  near  the  mouth  of  the 
Ma-Kok,  and  from  there  visited  the  ruins  of  the 
city  of  Cheung  Sau.  This  was  at  one  time  the 
largest  and  most  populous  city  in  this  part  of  the 
interior ; it  was  the  capital  city  of  a very  power- 
ful Burmese  province.  Seventy  years  ago  the 
city  was  taken  and  destroyed  by  the  Siamese, 
its  inhabitants  put  to  the  sword  or  forced  into 
slavery  and  the  entire  province  rendered  deso- 
late, in  which  condition  it  remains  to  this  day. 
The  province  thus  depopulated,  and  now  the 
home  only  of  wild  beasts,  is  not  as  large  as  the 
province  of  Cheung  Mai,  I believe.  The  terri- 
tory under  the  rule  of  the  king  of  Cheung  Mai 
is  about  as  large  as  the  States  of  Massachusetts, 
Connecticut  and  Rhode  Island;  the  waste  prov- 
ince of  Cheung  Sau  is  probably  about  as  large  as 
Connecticut.  Nothing  now  remains  of  the  de- 
stroyed city  save  the  walls  and  the  tumbling 
ruins  of  temples.  Thousands  of  idols,  images 
of  Buddha,  are  scattered  around  in  the  old 
wat-  or  temple-grounds.  Helpless  to  save  the 
city  from  its  fate,  they  were  abandoned,  and 
are  now  trodden  under  foot  of  the  deer,  wild 
elephants  and  tigers,  whose  tracks  now  form  the 
by-ways  of  that  city. 

After  wandering  about  the  i)lace  for  several 
hours,  we  returned  to  Ban  Saao,  and  then  con- 
tinued our  journey  down  the  Cambodia.  One 


A TOUR  IN  THE  LAOS  COUNTRY. 


533 


day’s  travel  brought  us  to  Cheung  Khawng.  This 
is  a Laos  city  of  two  or  three  thousand  inhab- 
itants, and  belongs  to  the  province  of  Muang- 
Nan.  No  inhabitants  on  the  river-banks  between 
Ban  Saao  and  Cheung  Khawng.  Many  years  ago 
a village  was  commenced,  several  houses  built 
and  a clearing  made  in  the  forest.  About  twenty 
houses  were  reared,  but  the  people  were  obliged 
to  desist,  as  many  of  them  were  killed  by  the 
tigers.  We  remained  at  Cheung  Khawng  two 
days,  called  upon  the  governor  and  some  of  the 
officers,  visited  many  of  the  temjdes,  and  every- 
where talked  with  those  who  were  willing  to 
listen.  Cheung  Khawng  is  also  a fisher-town. 
There  are  very  few  suburban  villages,  fewer 
even  than  around  Cheung  Rai. 

Left  Cheung  Khawng  on  the  3d  of  May.  Our 
passage  down  the  Cambodia  to  Muang-Luang- 
Prabang  was  rapidly  made,  and  occupied  only 
five  days,  including  the  Sabbath.  The  distance 
to  the  latter  place  from  Cheung  Rai  is  proba- 
bly about  three  hundred  miles,  or  from  Cheung 
Khawng  nearly  two  hundred.  The  current  of  the 
Cambodia  is  very  swift,  in  places  so  much  so  that 
it  was  dangerous  to  navigate.  The  river  is  nearly 
a mile  wide  in  places,  and  where  the  channel  is 
narrowed  it  rushes  along  with  frightful  rapidity. 
No  scenery  is  finer,  not  even  that  of  the  Hudson, 
during  the  entire  distance  we  traveled  on  it. 
Mountains  rise  from  either  bank  to  the  height 


5;}-! 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


of  three  or  four  thousand  feet.  The  river  fills 
the  bottom  of  a loiij''  wiiidino;  valley,  and  as  Ave 
glided  swiftly  down  it  there  seemed  to  move  by 
us  the  panorama  of  tAvo  half-erect,  ever-changing 
landscapes  of  AA'Oodland  verdure  and  blossom. 
Only  as  Ave  neared  the  city  did  Ave  see  rough 
and  craggy  mountain-peaks  and  barren  tOAA^ering 
})recipices.  The  villages  along  the  river  are  feAV 
and  small  — from  Cheung  KhaAvng  to  Avithin 
three  hours’  travel  of  Muang-Luang-Prabang 
not  more  than  six,  averaging  tAventy  to  thirty 
houses  each.  About  three  hours  from  the  lat- 
ter city  is  the  mouth  of  the  Ma-Oo  River.  This 
river  comes  doAvn  from  the  north  and  drains  the 
country  of  the  Liews. 

Muang-Luang-Prabang  is  the  capital  city  of  a 
Laos  province  Avhich  is  perhaps  even  more  ex- 
tensive than  Cheung  Mai.  The  population  of 
the  city  has  been  variously  estimated.  My  com- 
panion on  the  tour  agrees  Avitli  me  in  placing  the 
figure  at  tAventy  or  tAventy-five  thousand.  It  is 
probably  the  third  largest  city  in  the  kingdom 
of  Siam  or  tributary  to  it.  Ayuthia  is  the  sec- 
ond, and  Cheung  Mai  probably  the  fourth. 
While  the  city  itself  contains  a larger  popula- 
tion than  Cheung  Mai,  it  has  not,  like  this,  a 
large  rural  population  in  its  immediate  vicinity. 
It  is  situated  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Cambodia, 
on  a plain  Avhich  is  not  more  than  four  or  five 
miles  Avide.  A feAv  miles  above  and  beloAv  the 


A TOUR  IN  THE  LAOS  COUNTRY. 


535 


city  the  plain  is  bounded  by  high  mountains, 
which  reach  to  the  river  and  form  its  banks.  A 
small  river,  the  Ma-Kahn,  comes  in  from  the 
east  and  divides  the  city  into  two  unequal  por- 
tions. The  plain  immediately  back  of  the  city 
is  not  cultivated  nor  inhabited.  We  were  told 
that  there  were  a number  of  villages  on  the 
banks  of  the  Ma-Kahn.  During  the  season  of 
high  water  boats  ascend  this  stream — a month’s 
journey.  I presume  it  is  then  the  highway 
on  which  the  Kamoos  bring  their  produce  to 
the  Muang-Luang-Prabang  market.  The  city 
is  more  compact  than  any  of  the  Laos  cities 
which  we  visited.  Its  market  is  not  so  large  as 
that  in  Cheung  Mai,  but  we  found  in  it,  besides 
the  fruits  and  vegetables  of  the  country,  many 
articles,  especially  cloths,  of  foreign  manufacture. 
These  are  brought  from  Bangkok.  The  meats 
in  the  market  are  fish,  pork  and  fowls.  The 
former  are  abundant;  many  of  them,  taken  from 
the  Cambodia  River,  would  weigh  over  a hun- 
dred pounds  each. 

Diffeeent  Tribes. 

The  Laos  of  Muang-Luang-Prabang  differ 
somewhat  from  those  of  Cheung  Mai.  That 
province  and  Wieng-Chun  are  the  provinces 
of  the  “Eastern”  (or  “White”)  Laos — the  four 
cities  or  provinces  of  Nan,  Praa,  Lakawn  and 
Lampoon,  of  the  “ Northern”  (or  “ Black”) 


536 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


Laos.  The  difference  bearing  upon  missionary 
work  is  that  of  language.  Our  Cheung  Mai 
escort  experienced  nearly  the  same  difficulty  in 
understanding  the  “ Eastern”  Laos  that  a Siam- 
ese would  have.  The  Eastern  Laos  dialect  is 
more  nearly  allied  to  the  Siamese  than  is  the 
Northern.  It  does  not  occupy  a middle  posi- 
tion between  the  dialect  of  Cheung  Mai  and 
that  of  Siam,  but  probably  bears  a relation  to 
the  Siamese  and  Cochin  Chinese  languages,  as 
the  Northern  Laos  dialect  does  to  the  Siamese, 
Burmese,  Karens,  Liew  (or  Lew)  and  Chinese 
tongues.  The  Eastern  Laos  understand  the 
spoken  language  of  Siam  better  than  they  do 
that  of  the  Northern  Laos.  The  differences 
between  the  Siamese,  Northern  and  Eastern 
Laos,  Liews,  Ngieus,  Yongs,  etc.  is  illustrated 
in  the  dialectic  differences  of  our  own  language 
as  spoken  in  the  different  parts  of  England. 

The  letters  used  in  writing  the  language  of 
this  province  are  universally  used  throughout 
the  Northern  Laos  provinces  and  by  the  Liews, 
Yongs  and  in  many  of  the  Burmese  provinces. 
The  written  characters  of  the  Eastern  Laos  are 
not  much  different  from  these.  The  books  of 
either  people  can  be  read  by  the  other,  though 
not  without  a little  difficulty.  Siamese  books 
cannot  be  read  in  any  of  the  Laos  provinces,  ex- 
cept by  a few  persons.  Thus,  the  Bible  printed 
in  the  Cheung  Mai  Laos  letters  could  easily  be 


A TOUR  IN  THE  LAOS  COUNTRY. 


bS7 


read  in  all  the  “ Northern”  Laos,  and  in  many 
of  the  Eastern  Burmese,  provinces  and  among 
independent  tribes  of  Liews,  etc.,  and  with  but 
little  difficulty  by  the  Eastern  Laos. 

The  Liews  are  comparatively  numerous  in 
Muang-Luang-Prabang.  Their  province  lies  to 
the  north  of  it,  and  joins  the  southern  border  of 
Western  China.  They  are  an  independent,  bold, 
hardy  and  cruel  people.  They  dress  better  than 
the  Laos,  the  style  of  their  clothing  resembling 
that  of  the  Chinese.  Their  traders  visit  the 
Laos,  Burmese  and  Chinese  provinces.  Their 
principal  city  is  Cheung  Hoong,  situated  (on 
the  Cambodia  River)  to  the  north  of  Muang- 
Luang-Prabang.  They  have  a finer  and  more 
intelligent  appearance  than  the  Laos.  Their 
tribe  is  not  so  numerous  as  the  Laos. 

The  Yongs  occupy  a province  south  of  the 
Liews.  Their  principal  city  is  a small  one  on 
the  Ma-Yong  (River),  a tributary  of  the  Cam- 
bodia, which  empties  into  it  above  the  desolated 
province  of  Cheung  San.  They  are  also  subject, 
I believe,  to  the  king  of  Burmah.  The  above- 
mentioned  tribes  of  people  in  many  respects 
resemble  the  Northern  Laos.  Except  the 
Ngieus,  they  have  the  same  written  language, 
and  the  difference  in  the  spoken  language  is 
not  great.  The  Lwoas  are  another  tribe  of  the 
same  family.  Representatives  of  all  these  tribes, 
as  well  as  Burmese,  Karens,  Siamese,  Peguans 


538 


SIAM  AXD  LAOS. 


and  Cliinese,  are  found  in  all  the  Laos  provinces. 
Those  most  numerous  in  Muang-Luang-Prabang 
are  the  Liews. 

The  religion  of  all  the  peoples  before-men- 
tioned, except  the  Karens  and  the  Kamoos,  is 
Buddhism,  more  or  less  mixed  with  Shaman- 
ism, 

The  Karens,  Bed  Karens,  Kamoos  and  Kain- 
ates are  not  Buddhists,  but  worship  or  believe  in 
evil  spirits,  to  whose  influence  they  attribute  all 
that  is  averse  to  their  sense  of  good,  and  whose 
evil  power  they  must  arrest  by  ceremonies  and 
sacrifices.  Thus  the  Kamoos  in  cases  of  sickness 
do  not  give  medicine,  but  offer  sacrifices  to  ap- 
pease the  spirits,  sometimes  killing  ten  or  twelve 
animals  over  a single  patient. 

The  Kamoos  and  Kamates  are  so  nearly  re- 
lated that  I will  speak  of  them  as  one  tribe,  I 
have  purposely  omitted  mentioning  them  in  con- 
nection with  the  other  tribes  of  people  found  in 
jMuang-Luang-Prabang,  because  there  does  not 
appear  to  be  any  similarity  betwixt  them,  either 
in  language,  religion  or  customs.  The  Kamoos 
are  quite  as  numerous  in  Muang-Luang-Prabang 
as  the  Laos : I mean  in  the  province,  not  the 
city,  for  they  are  a mountain-tribe.  They  have 
no  province  of  their  own,  but  are  slaves,  who, 
though  they  live  among  the  mountains,  must  pay 
their  tribute,  each  man,  to  his  Laos  or  Siamese 
master.  They  are  most  numerous  in  the  prov- 


A TOUR  IX  THE  LAOS  COUNTRY. 


539 


ince  of  Muang-Luang-Prabang-,  but  are  found 
in  all  the  Laos  and  in  some  of  the  Burmese 
provinces,  in  the  Hau  country  of  China,*  and 
among  the  independent  tribes.  They  are  said  to 
be  harmless  and  honest.  They  are  ignorant  and 
despised,  even  by  the  poor,  wretched  people  of 
this  country.  Their  clothing  is  even  more  scanty 
than  that  of  the  almost  naked  Laos. 

Their  homes  are  upon  the  tops  of  the  moun- 
tains, not  in  the  valleys  among  the  mountains, 
as  are  the  Karen  villages.  They  cultivate  small 
portions  of  ground,  which  they  are  not  permitted 
to  call  their  own.  Their  diminutive  clearings  and 
solitary  houses,  on  or  near  the  top  of  steep,  high 
mountains,  have  a singular  appearance,  surround- 
ed as  they  are  with  forest  and  standing  in  bold 
relief  against  the  sky.  Many  of  them,  from  fre- 
quent intercourse  with  their  masters,  understand 
the  spoken  Laos  language,  but  they  have  a dis- 
tinct language  of  their  own.  They  have  no  writ- 
ten language.  Probably  not  one  in  ten  thousand 
of  them  can  read  the  books  of  any  language. 
They  have  a few  small  villages,  but  the  majority 
of  the  people  live  in  isolated  homes.  They  have 
no  city  of  their  own.  Missionary  efforts  to  reach 
that  tribe  might  be  made  through  a native  min- 
istry. The  superintendence  of  such  a work, 
should  it  be  attempted,  would  require  a mis- 
sionary to  reside  in  Muang-Luang-Prabang. 

*This  is  Yunnan. 


540 


67.1.V  AXD  LAOS. 


We  remained  six  days  in  that  city.  It  was  a 
season  of  constant  labor  to  my  associate.  Many 
visited  us — probably  from  motives  of  curiosity — 
but  to  all  we  endeavored  to  present  the  gospel 
message.  Drunkenness  is  a prevailing  vice  there. 
Unlike  Cheung  Mai,  the  nights  are  hideous  with 
revelry.  Opium  is  said  to  be  used  very  freely — 
more  so  than  in  any  other  Laos  city.  AVe  did 
not  have  that  sense  of  security  there  that  we 
have  felt  in  all  the  other  Laos  cities,  and  so  were 
glad  when,  on  the  14th  of  May,  we  were  able  to 
leave  on  our  homeward  journey. 

In  concluding  this  notice  of  Muang-Luang- 
Prabang,  I will  remark  that  its  usual  communi- 
cation with  Bangkok  is  not  by  way  of  Cheung 
Mai.  From  Xakawn-Soowun,  twelve  days  above 
Bangkok,  boats  ascend  the  ea.stern  branch  of  the 
^lenam  to  near  its  head-waters.  The  distance  Is 
probably  greater  than  to  Cheung  Mai.  From 
that  head  of  navigation  there  is  a land-carriage 
of  eight  or  ten  days  to  the  Cambodia  River,  and 
then  about  two  weeks’  boat-travel  against  the 
swift  current  of  that  river  before  reaching  Mu- 
ang-Luang-Prabang.  I presume  the  usual  time 
from  Bangkok  to  Muang-Luang-Prabang  cannot 
be  lass  than  three  months. 

AVe  traveled  in  boats  about  sixty  miles  down 
the  Cambodia,  seeing  very  few  villages  on  the 
river-bank,  except  near  the  city.  At  Ta  Dua 
we  procured  elephants  for  our  land-journey ; 


A TOUR  ly  THE  LAOS  COUNTRY. 


541 


these  were  changed  at  different  stages.  For  two 
days  our  course  was  through  a partially-culti- 
vated plain,  lying  parallel  with  the  river  and 
separated  from  it  by  a narrow  range  of  moun- 
tains. Passed  through  six  villages,  the  largest 
of  which  probably  contained  a population  of  one 
thousand.  Six  days  more  of  travel  brought  us 
to  Muang-Nan.  Four  of  these  were  consumed 
in  ascending  and  descending  mountains. 

Muang-Nan,  the  chief  city  of  the  province  of 
the  same  name,  is  a city  of  about  ten  thousand 
inhabitants.  It  is  situated  on  the  Xan  River, 
one  of  the  streams  which,  by  uniting  with  others, 
form  the  eastern  branch  of  the  Menam  River, 
where  it  forks  at  Nakawn-Soowun.  The  city  of 
Nan  is  about  on  the  same  latitude  with  Cheung 
Mai,  and  the  river  on  which  it  is  situated  is 
nearly  as  large  as  the  one  which  flows  past  our 
mission-premises  here.  Owing  to  impassable 
rapids  on  the  Nan  River,  travel  between  Nan 
and  Bangkok  involves  a land-journey  by  ele- 
phants of  seven  or  eight  days. 

The  province  of  Nan  is  one  of  the  most  popu- 
lous and  important  of  the  Laos  provinces.  The 
plain  for  ten  or  fifteen  miles  on  every  side  of  the 
city  contains  a considerable  number  of  villages. 
There  is  evidence  in  the  city  and  villages  of  com- 
parative prosperity.  The  rulers  seem  more  lib- 
eral, more  desirous  of  the  welfare  and  prosperity 
of  their  people,  than  in  any  other  Laos  province. 


542 


67.14/  AND  LAOS. 


The  contrast  in  this  respect,  between  Nan  on  the 
one  ])art  and  Mnang-Luang-Prabang  and  INIuang- 
Praa  on  the  other  was  great.  We  were  more  en- 
couraged to  revisit  that  city  than  any  other.  We 
remained  there  four  days.  The  lateness  of  the 
season  and  frequency  of  the  rains  hastened  our 
departure. 

Going  south-Avesterly,  we  arrived  in  Muang- 
Praa  on  the  4th  of  June.  This  city  is  only  four 
or  five  days’  travel  from  Muang-Nan,  but  we  were 
detained  on  the  way  in  getting  a fresh  supply  of 
elephants. 

Four  days  south  of  west  from  Muang-Praa 
brought  us  to  Muang-Lakawn.  This  city  is 
about  the  same  in  size  as  Muang-Nan ; popu- 
lation ju’obably  nearly  ten  thousand.  It  is  situ- 
ated on  the  Mawang,  a river  which  unites  near 
to  Pahang  with  the  Maping,  which  goes  by  our 
doors. 

We  reached  Cheung  Mai  on  the  21st  of  June, 
after  an  absence  of  sixty-seven  days.  The  tour 
would  be  a difficult  one  to  make  at  any  season 
of  the  year;  it  was  jiarticularly  so  at  the  time 
we  made  it.  The  heavy  rains  retarded  our  prog- 
ress, and  rendered  it  extremely  unpleasant  both 
by  day  and  night.  Our  health,  hoAvever,  was 
but  little  affected  by  these  unpleasant  experi- 
ences, as  we  escaped  with  less  sickness  than  did 
the  natives  who  accompanied  us. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 


CHINA  TO  BRITISH  INDIA,  VIA  CHEUNG  MAI. 

HEUNG  MAI  is  one  of  the  five  northern 


Laos  provinces  belonging  to  Siam.  This 
northern  Laos  country  is  bounded  on  the  north 
(lat.  20°  20'  N.)  by  tlie  Slian  states,  tributary  to 
Independent  Burmah ; on  the  north-east  by 
some  independent  Shan  states  lying  between 
Laos  and  Tonquin ; on  the  east  by  Anam ; on 
the  south  by  Siam.  Tlie  western  boundary  is 
the  river  Salween,  separating  the  Laos  country 
from  British  Burmah  and  Karenee.  The  ex- 
treme distance  from  north  to  south  is  two  hun- 
dred and  twenty  miles;  from  east  to  west,  about 
four  hundred  and  twenty  miles.  The  entire 
population  of  the  five  Laos  provinces  tributary 
to  Siam  is  estimated  at  about  two  millions. 
These  two  millions  are  composed  of  about  ten 
tribes ; all  of  them,  however,  excepting  the  rem- 
nants of  three  or  four  aboriginal  tribes  inhabit- 
ing the  mountains,  are  branches  of  a common 
stock,  the  Lou.  Each 'of  these  five  Lou  prov- 
inces is  a kingdom,  the  ruler  of  which  is  always 


543 


544 


67.14/  AND  LAOS. 


a native  })rince,  who  can,  however,  exercise  au- 
thority only  after  receiving  investiture  from  the 
king  of  Siam. 

Cheung  Mai,  reckoning  all  the  territory  over 
which  the  king  of  Cheung  Mai  exercises  juris- 
diction, is  the  largest  and  most  populous  of  the 
Laos  provinces.  A recent  census  of  the  houses 
throughout  the  province  of  Cheung  Mai  gave 
the  number  of  ninety-seven  thousand,  and  the 
census  was  not  at  that  time  complete ; the  popu- 
lation of  the  entire  province  is  not  under  six 
hundred  thousand. 

The  city  of  Cheung  Mai  (written  Zimme  on 
English  maps)  is  the  capital,  and  is  reached 
from  Bangkok  by  boat ; the  distance  is  approx- 
imately five  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  and  the 
time  required  to  make  the  journey  in  native 
boats,  propelled  by  men,  is  usually  fifty  days. 

The  isolation  of  Cheung  Mai,  the  long,  tedious 
and  expensive  journey  required  to  reach  it,  and 
the  unwholesome  climate,  are  considered  by  some 
sufficient  arguments  against  retaining  it  as  a mis- 
sion-station. But  there  are  other  considerations 
worthy  of  attention,  which  I wish  to  present. 

The  population  of  the  city  of  Cheung  Mai  is 
estimated  at  about  twenty-five  thousand ; the 
language  (with  slight  and  unimportant  dialec- 
tical differences)  is  common  to  all  the  Laos 
people ; it  is  the  commercial  centre  of  all  the 
Laos  provinces  to  the  north  and  north-east, 


CHINA  TO  BRITISH  INDIA. 


545 


and  also  of  the  Shan  provinces  to  the  north. 
There  exists  an  extensive  trade  with  Bangkok. 
Stick-lac,  hides,  horns,  ivory,  cutch,  gum  ben- 
jamin, are  among  the  principal  articles  of  ex- 
port ; these  are  exchanged  in  Bangkok  for  the 
products  of  foreign  industry.  Trade  with  Bang- 
kok is  necessarily  restricted:  the  cost  of  trans- 
portation is  too  great  to  admit  of  a free  expan- 
sion, the  carrying  of  one  ton  of  cargo  from 
Bangkok  to  Cheung  Mai  costing  ordinarily 
fifty-five  dollars.  The  fluctuation  in  prices 
both  in  Bangkok  and  Cheung  Mai  is  very 
considerable ; the  customary  rate  of  interest  is 
two  per  cent,  a month ; the  time  required  for 
the  trader  to  purchase  his  cargo  in  Cheung 
Mai  and  go  to  Bangkok  and  return  and  dis- 
pose of  his  merchandise  is  usually  six  or  seven 
months.  In  addition  to  these  unavoidable  difii- 
culties,  there  are  other  and  sometimes  greater 
ones.  The  fostering  care  of  government  is  too 
freely  exercised,  arbitrary  and  unjust  taxes  are 
levied,  and  other  artificial  interferences  sufficient, 
it  would  seem,  to  prevent  any  large  investment  of 
capital.  It  is  hoped,  however,  that  a more  intelli- 
gent policy  will  prevail.  Considerable  imj^rove- 
ment  has  been  made,  many  restrictions  that 
formerly  existed  having  been  removed,  and 
monopolies  are  not  now  so  freely  granted  to 
favorites.  It  speaks  well  for  the  enterprise  and 
sagacity  of  the  Cheung  Mai  traders  that  in  spite 

35 


546 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


of  all  these  difficulties  they  have  developed  a 
very  considerable  exchange  market.  The  pres- 
ent extensive  trade  is  an  indication  that  Cheung 
Mai  is  the  natural  centre  of  what,  when  properly 
developed,  will  amount  to  an  important  com- 
merce. It  is  not  impossible  that  before  many 
years  steamers  will  run  from  Bangkok  to  Che- 
ung Mai.  There  seems  to  be  no  real  obstacle  in 
the  way  of  light  craft  propelled  by  steam  accom- 
plishing the  journey  in  ten  or  twelve  days ; the 
present  demand  would  justify  the  necessary  out- 
lay as  a business  speculation,  and  steam  navi- 
gation would  unquestionably  develop  a much 
larger  trade.  Sir  Arthur  Phayre  represents  the 
“ Laos  traders  as  industrious,  energetic,  possess- 
ing a marvelous  capacity  for  traveling  as  petty 
merchants,  and  longing  for  free  trade.”  My  own 
knowledge,  after  a residence  of  several  years  in 
Cheung  Mai,  confirms  this  official  statement. 

The  agricultural  richness  of  the  plain  is  known. 
The  forests  of  valuable  timber  clothing  the  hills 
and  mountains  are  another  source  of  wealth.  A 
large  proportion  of  the  teak-timber  shipped  from 
Maulmain  comes  from  the  Cheung  Mai  forests. 
The  mineral  resources  of  this  Laos  country  are 
varied  and  extensive ; deposits  of  many  of  the 
useful  and  precious  metals  are  known  to  exist; 
iron,  copper,  zinc,  lead,  silver,  antimony,  nickel 
and  gold  are  found  in  greater  or  less  abundance. 
Coal  has  also  been  found  along  the  river  after 


CHINA  TO  BRITISH  INDIA,  VIA  CHEUNG  MAI.  547 

heavy  rains,  and  petroleum  has  also  been  dis- 
covered. 

The  importance  of  Cheung  Mai  is  not,  how- 
ever, sufficiently  indicated  by  a statement  of  the 
productions  and  population  of  the  province.  Its 
resources  can  never  be  fully  developed  if  it  is  in 
the  future  to  remain  so  cut  off  from  the  rest  of 
the  world  as  it  always  has  been.  The  problem 
of  a direct  trade-route,  connecting  China  with 
the  British  possessions  in  India,  is  at  the  present 
time  attracting  much  interest.  The  route  across 
northern  Yunnan,  via  Bhamo,  into  Burmah  has 
been  sufficiently  investigated  to  ascertain  that  for 

overland  commerce  to  anv  considerable  amount 

*/ 

it  is  impracticable.  It  remains  to  discover  the 
best  route  possible  through  the  Laos  country. 
To  one  who  is  aware  of  the  extent  of  the  trade 
that  exists  and  has  been  carried  on  for  many 
generations  between  Cheung  Mai  and  Yunnan, 
and  of  the  ready  access  to  Cheung  Mai  from 
Maulmain,  the  discussion  of  the  possibility  of 
discovering  a trade-route  connecting  South- 
western China  and  British  Burmah  seems  su- 
perfluous. The  caravan  of  Yunnan  traders 
coming  yearly  to  Cheung  Mai  clearly  demon- 
strate the  existence  of  a trade-route,  and  this 
native  track  is  probably  available  for  a much 
more  extensive  overland  transportation  of  mer- 
chandise than  at  present  exists.  The  Yunnan 
caravans  bring  silk  and  opium,  iron  and  copper 


548 


SL\M  AND  LAOS. 


utensils  aud  other  articles,  which  they  exchange 
principally  for  cotton.  This  caravan-trade  has 
materially  increased  within  the  past  few  years, 
though  I have  been  informed  that  years  ago  the 
trade  was  much  more  extensive  than  it  is  now. 
The  gradual  recujjeration  of  Yunnan,  consequent 
njjon  the  restoration  of  order  there,  probably 
explains  this  recent  increase  of  trade.  The  fact 
that  a party  of  ten  or  twelve  men  with  a caravan 
of  sixty  or  seventy  mules  make  this  journey  from 
Tali  in  Yunnam  via  Cheung  Hoong  aud  Cheung 
Toong,  to  Cheung  Mai,  is  a sufficient  indication 
of  the  safety  of  the  route.  A caravan  of  sixty 
mules  will  ordinarily  carry  merchandise  to  the 
value  of  twelve  to  fifteen  thousand  dollars,  oc- 
casionally a larger  amount.  Most  of  the  Yun- 
nan traders  who  come  to  Cheung  Mai  come  from 
the  neighborhood  of  Tali. 

The  construction  of  a railroad  from  Maulmain, 
via  Cheung  Mai,  to  some  point  in  South-western 
Yunnan  would  probably  not  encounter  any  phys- 
ical obstacles  more  serious  than  is  usually  met 
with  in  railroad  building.  After  entering  the 
plain  or  plateau  of  Cheung  Mai  the  engineering 
difficulties  would  be  of  little  consequence  until 
the  mountains  of  Cheung  Hoong  were  reached ; 
and  even  there  the  elevation  is  not  very  great 
and  there  are  no  deep  gorges,  such  as  are  met 
with  on  the  Bhamo  and  Manwyne  route.  It  is 
probable  there  are  no  insurmountable  barriers 


CHINA  TO  BRITISH  INDIA. 


549 


on  this  route,  and,  judging  from  the  accounts 
of  Cheung  Mai  and  Yunnan  traders,  there  are 
no  serious  difficulties  to  be  encountered.  Until 
there  is  a scientific  survey  any  expression  of 
opinion  as  to  the  best  track  is  little  more  than 
conjecture.  From  Cheung  Mai  to  Cheung  Rai 
there  are  two  routes.  One  explored  by  McLeod 
and  others,  although  not  adversely  reported  upon, 
is  certainly  a difficult  route ; I traveled  over  it  in 
1880  to  Cheung  San  and  found  the  highest  point 
passed  over  to  be  thirty-five  hundred  feet  above 
the  Cheung  Mai  plain,  and  the  ascent  is  abrupt. 

The  second  of  the  two  routes  mentioned  above 
has  never  been  described;  until  1880  this  route 
had  never  been  traveled  by  a white  man.  In 
January  of  that  year  I traveled  over  it,  and 
found  it,  as  I thought,  possessed  of  advantages 
over  the  other  road.  Proceeding  from  Cheung 
Mai  in  a northerly  direction,  following  the  course 
of  the  Maping  River  to  a point  fifty-five  miles 
north  of  Cheung  Mai,  thence  in  a direction  east 
by  north-east,  at  a distance  of  twenty  miles  from 
the  Maping  River  we  entered  a large  and  fertile 
plain  lying  to  the  east  and  south-east  of  Cheung 
Rai,  and  separated  from  that  province  only  by 
a low  range  of  hills ; traveling  through  this 
plain  to  the  Ma-Kok  River,  and  following  the 
course  of  that  river,  the  journey  to  Cheung  Rai 
is  a very  easy  one.  This  plain,  situated  to  the 
east  and  south-east  of  Cheung  Rai,  although  un- 


550 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


inhabited  at  the  time  I visited  it,  was  in  the  be- 
ginning of  Laos  history  the  most  populous  of  all 
their  provinces ; ruins  of  the  ancient  city  which 
was  the  capital  show  that  at  one  time  there  must 
have  been  considerable  wealth  in  the  province. 
The  name  of  this  ancient  city  and  now  deserted 
province  is  Muang  Fang.  A colony  from  Che- 
ung Mai  has  recently  settled  in  the  province. 
This  plain  is  distant  from  the  Maping  River  only 
about  twenty  miles,  and  the  highest  point  of  the 
divide  is  twenty-six  hundred  feet  above  Cheung 
Mai — ascent  very  gradual.  The  plain  is  six 
hundred  feet  higher  than  Cheung  Mai. 

A railroad  from  Cheung  Mai  (supposing  con- 
nection between  Maulmain  and  Cheung  Mai  al- 
ready established),  following  the  route  indicated 
above,  would  encounter  no  serious  physical  diffi- 
culties in  reaching  the  present  northern  boundary 
of  the  Siamese  Laos  territory. 

The  project  of  a railroad  from  Maulmain  to 
Cheung  Mai  is  now  under  serious  contemplation, 
and  an  exploring  party  with  this  end  in  view  is 
reported  as  having  left  Burmah.  But  the  ter- 
minus, instead  of  at  Cheung  Mai,  should  be 
either  at  Cheung  Rai  or  Cheung  San.  Such 
a road  would  not  be  a doubtful  experiment. 
The  immense  resources  of  this  region,  the  in- 
dustry and  enterprise,  the  peaceful  and  law- 
abiding  disposition,  of  the  Laos  people,  are  suf- 
ficient to  guarantee  its  success.  Any  thorough 


CHISA  TO  BRITISH  IXDIA. 


551 


investigation  of  the  subject  will  show  that  the 
natural  and  most  ob\dous  trade-route  connect- 
ing British  Burmah  and  South-western  China 
is  through  the  Cheung  Mai  province. 

The  only  political  difficulties  in  the  way  of 
such  a route  to  the  boundaries  of  Yunnan  would 
be  met  with  in  the  so-called  “ Independent  Shan 
States”  north  of  Laos.  Upper  Burmah  claims, 
and  fitfully  and  viciously  exercises,  a supremacy 
over  these  Shan  states,  but  the  general  condition 
of  these  provinces  is  one  of  political  anarchy. 
The  Burmese  policy  is  to  incite  one  province  to 
make  war  upon  another,  and  to  foment  internal 
disorder  by  exactions  and  tyrannies  compared  to 
which  the  most  unjust  and  arbitrary  measures  in 
the  government  of  the  Siamese  provinces  are 
mild.  Geographically,  these  Shan  states  belong 
to  Siam,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  Siamese 
authority  will  be  extended  over  all  the  territory 
lying  between  the  l\Ia-Kawng  (or  Cambodia) 
River  and  the  Salween  up  to  the  Yunnan  bor- 
der. While  no  one  will  pretend  to  claim  any- 
thing approaching  to  perfection  in  the  adminis- 
tration of  the  Siamese  provinces,  the  j^rotection 
to  life  and  property  in  them  is  simply  infinitely 
better  than  the  lawless  condition  of  the  provinces 
claimed  by  Upper  Burmah.  Should  the  Siamese 
authority  be  extended  to  the  north  (as  the  indi- 
cations of  the  past  few  years  would  seem  to  prom- 
ise), so  as  to  include  all  the  so-called  Independent 


552 


SIAM  AND  LAOS. 


Shan  states  situated  between  the  Cambodia  and 
Salween  Rivers,  a degree  of  law  and  order  would 
prevail,  and,  protected  from  the  attacks  and  rob- 
beries of  each  other,  these  tribes  would  soon  begin 
to  accumulate  wealth,  for  their  country  is  pos- 
sessed of  great  resources. 

“ Protection”  and  “ annexation”  constitute  a 
serious  bugbear  to  any  scheme  of  railroad  build- 
ing or  canal  construction  in  Siam.  If  the  Siam- 
ese and  Laos  could  be  convinced  that  there  was 
no  design  upon  their  possessions,  they  would  not 
be  averse  to  the  opening  up  of  their  country  by 
railroads.  It  is  difficult  to  believe  that  the  in- 
tellectual and  political  torpor  which  has  so  long 
characterized  Siam  is  to  continue.  The  con- 
flict between  the  old  and  the  new  is  inevitable; 
the  numerical  majority  is,  of  course,  under  the 
influence  of  ancestral  traditions  and  inherited 
beliefs,  opposed  to  all  change;  but  the  constant 
contact  with  Western  ideas  must  modify  this 
spirit  of  reverence  for  what  is  old  simply  be- 
cause it  is  old.  Even  “ far-off  Cheung  Mai  ” is, 
I confidently  believe,  soon  to  awaken  out  of  her 
long  sleep,  and,  no  longer  dreaming  of  the  past, 
to  advance  into  the  better  future. 


THE  END. 


Date  Due 

JUN  3 0 : 

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